


All Too Well

by broken_boiz_in_love



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Doctor Will Solace, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gay Sex, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Hurt Nico di Angelo, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Injured Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace & Percy Jackson Bromance, Jason Grace Feels, Jason Grace's Ghost, M/M, Making Out, Mild Sexual Content, Nico Feels, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace Bromance, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace Friendship, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson Friendship, Nico di Angelo & Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano Friendship, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace Fluff, Nico is sad, Non-Explicit Sex, Non-graphic injuries, Perjasico, Post-tTT, Pre-tToN, Sexy Times, Sick Nico di Angelo, Smut, Top Nico di Angelo, Will Solace is a Good Boyfriend, Will is Nico's doctor, everybody is sad, fun times in the underworld, hoodie sharing, imma slut for bromance, seriously a fuckton of flashbacks, shittily written fight scenes, so many flashbacks i might as well be on LOST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:53:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25248739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broken_boiz_in_love/pseuds/broken_boiz_in_love
Summary: Or Nico Learns to Let Go. Life has never treated Nico kindly. Now, more than ever, Nico is in upheaval. Jason Grace is dead, a strange new monster attacks Camp Half-Blood, Reyna joins the Hunters, and on top of it all, he's losing his Underworld powers. His boyfriend, Will, is trying to help him, but Nico is struggling to let down the walls that have sprung up around him . . . again.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Apollo & Meg McCaffrey, Apollo & Will Solace, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Nico di Angelo & Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Kayla Knowles, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Nico di Angelo & Thalia Grace, Nico di Angelo & Will Solace, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 42
Kudos: 254





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings and hello, my dear reader. In the excerpt (released in February) of the final Trials of Apollo book, The Tower of Nero, a prophecy was given with a line mentioning "The son of Hades". Rick confirmed that this is Nico (obviously) and that he and Will are playing a bigger part in the final book. This got me thinking. Our favorite boys have not been featured in a book since The Hidden Oracle, published way back in 2016. "All Too Well" follows the lives of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace leading up to tToN. According to Riordan Wiki, six months have passed from tHO to tToN, and two months from The Tyrant's Tomb to The Tower of Nero. This story takes place in those last two months at Camp Half-Blood.
> 
> As of July 2020, tToN is set to be released October 6th, 2020. Hopefully it will not be pushed back further due to COVID-19. Regardless, "All Too Well" will update every Monday, with the final chapter being posted October 5th. I will be on vacation and not have access to good WiFi the weeks of August 17th & 24th, so I will not be updating then.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, fracturing in a dozen brilliant shards, painting the floor and single bed in Cabin 13 with a warm golden glow. Nico threw a pale arm over his eyes and rolled over. The dark sheets that were tangled around his legs and waist twisted tightly around his body. After several more moments of willing sleep to return to him, Nico admitted his defeat with a groan. He was awake now and would stay that way for the rest of the day.

Nico wiggled out of the sheets and rolled out of bed. He allowed another couple seconds for his eyes to adjust to the bright morning before trudging to the bathroom. He grabbed a clean pair of underwear, jeans and a Camp t-shirt on his way. He had slept in only his boxer shorts and Will's old gray hoodie. Nico pulled his clothes off and stepped into the shower, tipping his head back to let the warm water soak his face and hair. He shampooed his hair and washed his body, then shut the water off with a still-soapy hand. He quickly dried himself and tugged on the tight black jeans and bright orange t-shirt.

Nico blinked dismally at his reflection in the mirror. His messy dark hair was plastered wetly to his forehead and neck. His skin was pale ivory. His eyes were almost as black as long lashes that fringed them, and there were purple shadows beneath them, a remnant of the previous late night. Nico sighed and began to towel-dry his hair. He briefly considered getting back in bed. Not that he would be able to fall back asleep, but joining the other campers at the dining pavilion for breakfast was just about the last thing Nico di Angelo wanted to do. He stalled as long as he could: fidgeting with the belt at his waist, adjusting his Stygian iron sword; combing the tangles out of his hair and then messing it up again with a towel; putting Will's hoodie on and taking it off again, tossing it on the bathroom floor, walking away; running his long fingers through hair; double-knotting the laces of his combat boots; playing with his hair some more. When he ran out of distractions, Nico grudgingly stomped out the door of Cabin 13, slamming it behind him.

Despite the blinding sun, the morning was crisp and cool. It reminded Nico more of a Fall morning than a Spring one. It wasn't soggy and cloudy, the ground wasn't damp and muddy. The air was not even fragrant with the first blooms stimulated by the Demeter kids. No, it wasn't like any other morning in early Spring. The sky was cloudless and blue. The sun was brilliant even in mid-rise. The air felt cool, tasted clean. It was beautiful. Nico found it all rather insulting. The world shouldn't be allowed to be splendid, not when everything was so twisted, so _wrong._ Did it not understand the great loss that was being experienced by everyone at Camp Half-Blood? Or did it just not care? A songbird sang in the distance, a melodious cry that was taken up by its companions, creating a cacophony that was all very Springy. _Fuck you, Persephone,_ Nico thought bitterly.

Like he assumed it would be, the dining pavilion was packed. Campers from all over the country were crowded into their assigned picnic tables. Nico recognized most of them, but there were also ones who he didn't think he'd ever seen. College-aged. Adults. Half-bloods who'd left Camp years ago. Some of them Nico didn't even think had fought in the Giant War. Maybe they had just come out of respect? Or maybe they'd fought in the Titan War. But if that was the case then they wouldn't have known . . .

Nico rolled his shoulders back. He disliked so many people in his presence at once. He preferred keeping his distance, lurking in the shadows. He would have stayed in his cabin all day, until everyone had cleared out. Except that he knew at least three people would be banging on his door, demanding Nico come out and say goodbye before they departed. It was best to make an appearance, get it over with. Then he could go back and wait it out. Besides, he'd skipped dinner the night before; he was hungry.

Although Nico was probably the very last camper to arrive at the pavilion, he drew no attention to himself. He was masterfully skilled at the art of inconspicuousness. He scanned the tables. There was technically a rule about where campers were supposed to sit for meals, but nobody seemed to be observing it that morning. Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace were both seated with the Athena kids, both of whom were more subdued than Nico had ever seen them. Percy was picking at a plate of blue pancakes with a fork in one hand, and his other hand was clasped tightly with Annabeth's. On Annabeth's other side was Thalia, who was staring off into empty space, a styrofoam cup of black coffee steaming untouched in front of her. Annabeth was glancing between her boyfriend and childhood friend with a worried expression. The sun caught her blonde hair in a way that made it look like liquid gold spilling down her back.

Nico's stomach twisted in discomfort the way it always did at the sight of the daughter of Zeus. Her short black hair and silver Hunters' clothing reminded him too much of his sister, Bianca. But it wasn't just that, not today. Nico had never been an empathetic person. He _was_ "The Ghost King" after all. But the loss of a sibling . . . that was something few people had the misfortune of emphasizing with. Nico did. He knew exactly how Thalia was feeling, how she would always feel. He felt sick.

The only completely vacant tables were those of the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades. Zeus, out of respect. Poseidon and Hades because their only children were too obstinate to sit their butts where they were told. Nico glanced at the Apollo table, his usual residence. There were so many people. The thought of sitting with them all made Nico's stomach jerk so hard he thought for a moment that he was actually going to throw up.

Nico sat at the Hades table. He couldn't remember the last time he sat there. Well, no, he could. He had summoned a dozen or so skeletons. He'd done it on purpose so Chiron would let him sit with Will. Nico realized after Chiron had relented without any argument that all Nico had had to do was ask. Still, the ground opening under the picnic table and skeletons crawling out of the chasm and onto the pavilion lawn had been quite the spectacle. Nico enjoyed watching the Aphrodite kids run screaming and the Ares kids tripping over themselves in a melee of sharp objects and curses. Although Nico often kept a low-profile, he secretly enjoyed being extra as hell — if only for the shock factor it had on the other campers. Chiron was never rattled though. He had calmly asked Nico to send the skeletons back to the Underworld, please and thank you.

Now Chiron sat alone at the long table, which was absent of its usual satyrs and nymphs, as well as the Camp Head, Mr. D. The satyrs and nymphs had attended and served the long memorial service the night before and were now giving the grieving campers some space. No one had heard from Mr. D in months. Chiron looked a little lost, a lot lonely, Nico thought. He felt bad for the centaur. How many of his students had he buried? Thousands, mostly likely, Nico grimly concluded.

The Hades table, like every table, even the empty ones, had a feast displayed on the top. Platters of eggs, pancakes, bacon, and sausage loomed in front of him, but Nico had lost his appetite. He took only a styrofoam cup of coffee, hoping it would calm his churning insides. The coffee was scalding hot, steam billowing up in a continuous hazy cloud, stark in the cool morning air. As if the warmth in his hands was a reminder of the temperature, goosebumps broke out on Nico's bare arms. He shivered.

"You should have brought a jacket.''

Nico didn't look up.

"I know you have one.''

Nico stared straight ahead. The bench creaked as someone settled down beside him. Will leaned forward so that he was in Nico's line of sight. "Hey,'' Will waved a hand in front of his boyfriend's eyes. "Earth to Nico! Do you copy? Nico?"

Nico's gaze slid to meet Will's. "You're weird, you know that, right?"

Will sat back. "What're you doing here, Nico?"

Nico took a sip of his coffee. It was strong and black, surprisingly bitter. It burned Nico's tongue when he drank it, but he ignored the pain.

Will sighed. He ran a hand through his mop of blond hair, leaving it standing on end. He rubbed his eyes and sighed again, deeply, disappointed. It was all Nico could do to keep from visibly wincing. "Neeks . . .''

"Where were you this morning?'' Nico asked, more sharply than he intended.

Will frowned, blinking. His eyes widened suddenly. "Oh gods. That's what this is about, isn't it? Oh my gods, Nico, I'm so sorry!''

"It's fine,'' Nico mumbled, embarrassed by Will's dramatic reaction.

"Gods,'' Will said again, running his hands through his hair _again._ Nico wanted to tell him to stop, it was sexy, and it was distracting him from his brooding. "I'm sorry.''

"Already said that,'' gritted Nico.

"I can explain . . ." Will trailed off.

"Can you?" His voice wasn't angry. Nico wasn't angry. He did want an explanation though, and it didn't look like there was a valid one at the moment.

"I . . . I don't know.'' Will's blue eyes shone with distress. "I woke up in the middle of the night and . . . I don't know, Neeks. I just felt like I couldn't—I couldn't _stay there,_ not any longer. Gods, I know I spend half my nights in your cabin, and I swear to you on the River Styx, I've never felt like that before! It's a bad excuse, I know, but I _am_ sorry! So sorry . . ."

"Don't apologize,'' said Nico, somewhat stiffly. "You can sleep wherever you'd like.''

Will chewed his lip. "You're not mad?''

"Why would I be?'' Nico said coolly.

Hurt flashed across Will's features. It was gone almost as quickly as it came. Nico knew his clipped tones stung Will. Nico hated himself for hurting him, but self-loathing had never held Nico back.

Will chewed his lip, eyes glancing over the loaded picnic table top. They fell on the cup of coffee in front of Nico. "You should really eat something,'' he said gently.

"Lost my appetite.'' Nico took another scalding sip of coffee.

"Too bad.'' Will straightened. Forcing Nico to eat was his specialty. He grabbed a slice of toast and began to spread it with butter and strawberry jam. Then he handed it to Nico, who reluctantly accepted it, having learned long ago that refusing food from Will was pointless. Nico took a bite of the sweet, creamy bread. Will watched him chew.

"Seriously, fuck off,'' muttered Nico self-consciously.

"If you come sit with me, I promise I'll leave you alone,'' said Will.

Nico looked over his shoulder at the Apollo table. The kids sitting there were packed tightly as sardines; shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip. _Oh, hell no._

Before Nico had time to protest, Will had him securely by the elbow and was hauling him towards his siblings. "Hey, _Will!_ " Nico tried to squirm away, but Will's grip was firm and Nico was not very big.

"Make room for my boyfriend,'' Will told his sister Kayla. She raised her eyebrows at Nico's seething form, but scooted over as far as she could on the bench. Will pushed Nico down and swung his legs over beside him. There really was no room for this movement which resulted in Will accidentally kicking Austin in the ribs. Austin glared at him, but wiggled his butt to make more room for the two of them.

"There,'' Will said, slightly breathless. "Now we're all here.''

Nico got another cup of coffee.

"Huh-uh, no.'' Will began fixing Nico another slice of toast. "Coffee is not a meal substitute.''

"You said if I sat with you, you'd leave me alone,'' whined Nico.

"It was a metaphor.''

"Oh, you've gotta be—"

The low din of chatter in the pavilion suddenly fell silent, causing Nico to break off mid-sentence. Chiron had held up a hand wearily to the campers. No one felt like ignoring him. He began to speak; Nico was reminded of how old the centaur was. How much he had seen. How much he had lost. "Campers and alumni of Camp Half-Blood,'' Chiron addressed them. "I would like to thank you all for attending last night's memorial ceremony. I know it wasn't an easy thing to do.'' He paused, eyes flicking momentarily to where Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth sat. Chiron continued in a softer voice. "The loss of a friend, a brother, a comrade is a hard thing to overcome. I am so sorry it has to be endured, especially by ones so young as yourselves.

"Jason Grace was a hero, no term is more accurate. As you all have probably heard before, heroes don't often get happy endings. And pain and suffering are hardships demigods are all forced to bare'' Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Percy and Annabeth exchange an uncertain expression. Nico himself was mildly surprised; Chiron usually tried putting a positive spin on even the most dire of situations. This chilly spring morning though, he didn't seem to have it in him. Chiron's voice was rough when he spoke again. "But Jason . . . Jason was just a boy. He had the rest of his life ahead of him, a bright future full of endless possibilities. It isn't fair that future was cut short so abruptly. It's happened before, I know, and it will happen again. But it is vastly important we do not forget Jason's sacrifice. As we were told by our friends at Camp Jupiter, Jason died for the cause of the now mortal god Apollo, who resided with us only months ago. Jason died so others could live, and we mustn't ever forget that. The memorial was only one small way we could remember him, but I am grateful to each and every one of you for attending.'' Chiron cleared his throat. "Those of you who have traveled to be here, I am especially grateful for your show of support. Though it is hard for us to continue through such tragedy, life must go on. Camp activities will resume this afternoon. We ask that you who do not currently reside here please be gone by noon. We look forward to seeing you this summer.'' Chiron dipped his head, acknowledging the end of his speech.

There was a smattering of applause. Most of the half-bloods just looked forlorn. Nico heard Percy say, "Time to get going, Wise Girl,'' and he helped Annabeth to her feet. Thalia was leaning forward, elbow propped on the table top, three fingers pressed to her lips. Nico was not sure if it was a sign of respect or mourning of the Hunters of Artemis. Or maybe Thalia was trying to compose herself and gather the strength to stand. Nico had the sudden impulse to go to her. The campers had all offered their heartfelt condolences before last night's ceremony. Nico and Will did so too, of course, but Nico had had only a lame "I'm sorry for your loss'' to offer. He hadn't been sure what else to say. Now he knew.

"Hey, Neeks— Where're you going?'' Will called behind him as Nico abruptly took off towards the Athena table.

Thalia looked up as Nico came to a stop beside her. Her blue eyes were vibrant, and beautiful, and utterly hopeless. They were so much like Jason's, save the devoid of hope. Nico swallowed hard. "I understand,'' he said.

A slow, sad smile crossed Thalia's face. She took Nico's pale, thin hands in her own. "I know.''

Nico's tongue flicked over his chapped lips. Thalia let his hands go with a quick squeeze and got to her feet. She said something in a low voice to Annabeth, who nodded before throwing her arms around her friend and holding her tightly. When the girls finally drew apart, they were both furiously scrubbing at their eyes. Nico felt slightly abashed at the sight of two of the strongest people he knew showing such raw emotion, especially since neither of them had cried during the ceremony.

Percy and Thalia hugged, Percy murmuring something like, "Just give us a call, okay?" in her ear, and Thalia responding with a muffled, "Okay, Jackson.'' Then the daughter of Zeus pulled away, straightened her spine, and started towards the entrance of Camp, where several Hunters were waiting to take her home. Heads turned all over the pavilion, watching her go. Percy put an arm around Annabeth's shoulders. Nico shifted his weight from foot to foot. He felt like he had just intruded on an intimate moment, witnessing the farewell of three friends who'd been through so much together. Nico was glad Thalia had Percy and Annabeth in her life to help her through the loss of her little brother. He hoped she would call them.

As if the departure of Jason Grace's only living relative spurred a chain-reaction, almost immediately after Thalia was out of sight the campers rose and began saying their goodbyes. Nico saw Travis Stoll locked in a fierce embrace with his brother Connor, who had left Camp Half-Blood the year before. Travis's girlfriend Katie watched them nearby with a satisfied smirk. Travis and Katie were year-round campers. Travis often denied missing brother since Connor had left for college, but everyone immediately noticed how subdued he was without his partner-in-crime by his side.

Over at the Ares table, Clarissie La Rue was giving out fist and chest bumps to her brothers and sisters. She even affectionately smacked a couple of the younger kids on the helmet. Her boyfriend Chris Rodriguez stood near talking to Jake Mason. Nico saw Will talking to an older Camp alum Nico didn't recognize. The older boy placed a hand on Will's shoulder and said something that Nico didn't catch, but Will looked touched.

It was odd, Nico thought, that everyone was being so personal in their goodbyes. Maybe, he realized, the death of Jason, one who used to seem so untouchable, brought them to the conclusion that they might never see one they loved again. Most of the campers were returning in a few months for the summer. But Jason was supposed to return that summer too. Now he never would.

"Hey Nico!"

Nico was jolted out of his dark thoughts by Percy Jackson. Percy seemed to have materialized in front of him while Nico was distracted. "Oh, hey, Percy.''

The last time Nico had seen Percy was late January. Only three months passed but Percy already appeared older. He no longer had a boyish face, no longer had a roguish gleam in his sea-green eyes that had made thirteen-year-old Nico develop a lonely crush on him. Percy was now an adult. His shoulders broadened and his voice deepened. He still wore the same clothing — sneakers, jeans, orange Camp t-shirt, today with a _Little Mermaid: The Broadway Musical_ hoodie pulled over. His hair still looked windswept, like he'd been jet-skiing all day. He looked sad though, something that was very distinctly un-Percy-like. The older boy managed a weak smile. "How you doing, man?"

Nico shrugged. "I'm fine.''

"Okay, cool. Good.'' Percy looked like he wanted to say more, but refrained. "You sure?"

Nico narrowed his eyes a little. "Yeah.'' _Nope._

Percy didn't look convinced. That was the problem with people who had known you since you were a vulnerable, open-booked ten-year-old. They saw right through the mask. "Okay, cool,'' he said again. "I just know you . . . Well, you . . . I know you and Jason were close.''

Nico set his jaw. He pushed back the pain, down his throat, past his aching heart, into the deep pit of his stomach. It throbbed. Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded and shrugged his shoulders a bit, in a non-dismissive way. _Jason . . . Jason was . . . Jason had . . ._

"I really am sorry, Nico.''

Nico fought to regain his composure. "I'm sorry too. He was your friend as well.''

Percy smiled once more, this time more genuinely. "He was a good friend.''

"He was,'' Nico agreed, finally thinking of something to say. Something safe, that shouldn't hurt as much. He would make it into a sad joke. Yes, that was it. A sad joke. He forced a smile of his own. "You know, if it weren't for Jason I would probably still be in the closet.''

Percy breathed a soft laugh, and then his arms were around Nico. Nico stiffened at first ( _he had already been touched too much that day and it wasn't even noon)_ but willed himself to relax. Percy, knowing Nico's boundaries, respectfully let go after only a few seconds. He ruffled his hair affectionately. "Take care, buddy.''

"You too, Perce.''

Annabeth came up beside her boyfriend, automatically slipping her hand in his. She had been saying goodbye to her siblings. Her stormy eyes were tinged red. Bloodshot. "Hi there, Neeks.''

"Hi yourself.'' Nico liked Annabeth. She was always kind to him.

"The ceremony was beautiful. You did really well. Perfectly touching.'''

Chiron had put Nico in charge of the half-blood funeral services after the Giant War. Even though Jason had already been given a traditional Roman burial at Camp Jupiter, the Greek demigods wanted to commemorate their friend in their own way. Nico had willingly taken charge of that ceremony as well. "Thank you.'' Nico searched for more. "It was what Jason deserved.''

Annabeth looked close to tears again, so Nico quickly changed the subject. "Have you heard from Piper and Leo recently?"

Percy and Annabeth exchanged a look. "Yes,'' Annabeth said, carefully. "Piper just moved to Oklahoma with her dad. Leo and Calypso I'm not entirely sure about, but I think I heard they were staying somewhere in Indianapolis — Piper called it 'the Waystation' on the phone — with two ex-Hunters.''

"Is that why they didn't come last night?'' Nico asked tentatively.

Annabeth hesitated. "It . . . it's too soon. When I talked to Piper, she said they were still getting settled in their new home. She's been through a lot lately, and coming back to Camp . . ." A long pause. "Don't tell anyone, Nico, but Piper and Leo aren't planning to come back to Camp Half-Blood this summer.''

"That doesn't surprise me.''

Percy and Annabeth looked startled. "Really?'' said Percy. "Gods, I was stunned.''

Nico shook his head. "Too many memories, right? I mean, they arrived here for the first time with Jason. They stayed here together for months. Then after last summer's escapade, Piper and Jason came back. Together.''

"Yeah,'' said Annabeth, nodding empathetically. "Too many memories. And Piper just feels terrible, because she broke his heart and they drifted apart, and then—.'' She broke off suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, _shit._ I wasn't supposed to mention that! These emotions, gods, they are messing with my head . . . " She trailed off for the umpteenth time. She was right, Nico thought. Annabeth rarely lost her chill.

Percy stroked her hand with his thumb.

"I already knew,'' said Nico, because it seemed like the right thing. "About the breakup.''

"Who—?" Annabeth started, then: "Oh. Right.'' _Jason._

Smartphones weren't technically allowed at Camp Half-Blood, but that rule was being ignored more and more often these days. Most people smuggled them into their cabins and kept them shut off the majority of the time, turning them on only to occasionally call their mortal parent. Nico's sister Hazel, who was a Praetorat Camp Jupiter, gave him one for Christmas so they could keep in more consistent contact than Iris messages. They now called for one scheduled hour every week. It was, admitted Nico, good to hear from her so often. Shortly after their second call, before Nico turned off his phone, a text bubble popped onto the screen. It read: _Caller ID Unknown : hey nico it's Jason grace from camp. I got ur number from hazel. I haven't heard from u in a long time and I thogut maybe we could call sometime to chat. this is my number plz call :)_ Nico remembered staring at the message for a full thirty seconds before calling Hazel back and demanding why she had given his number to Jason Grace, for Hades' sake. "Because he asked for it!'' She had defended herself. "He cares about you a lot, Nico. Let him be your friend.'' So, after much consideration and weighing of odds, Nico had. He'd set up a second weekly call time. Jason and Nico had talked for one hour every week since Christmas. Until they hadn't.

The memory of the calls now caused Nico to swallow hard. Nico had been curt at first, as he often was. But Jason had immediately launched into everything he and Piper had been doing since the Fall. Nico heard all about living with Piper and her dad, school, extra curricular activities Jason was participating in, the LA weather forecast, training, the current status of the search for Leo, and all of Jason's thoughts and feelings. Nico remembered how surprised he had originally been at how easily open Jason was being with him. Most people wouldn't confide in the Son of Hades. But Jason had done so, and made Nico comfortable, so Nico shared his experiences as well. They mostly just chatted about funny mishaps at Camp and Jason's (apparently) hilarious transition into the mortal world. Sometimes though, they would get deeply personal. They would talk about their worst failures and greatest triumphs. The highs and lows. Jason still had done most of the talking, but Nico spoke up when he had something to say. The only other person Nico talked to likewise with was Will. He didn't get that personal with even Hazel. So when Piper had broken up with Jason, and Jason decided to transfer to a boys' boarding school, Nico had listened. That call he'd said very little because there wasn't much to say. But he was a good listener and he had listened well, which is what Jason had needed. Nico distinctly remembered at the end of that call, when Jason had finished and taken a shaky breath, the Son of Jupiter had simply said, "Thank you for listening" and Nico said, "Your welcome,'' and Jason hung up.

"Well, if you talk to Piper or Leo soon, give them my best,'' Nico said forcefully, agitation swelling in his stomach at the memories.

"Of course.'' Percy shook his hand. Nico was glad he didn't try to hug him again. Nico thought he probably would have thrown up all over Percy's _Little Mermaid_ hoodie. Annabeth gave him a friendly high-five — it had kind of become a thing between them since Nico came out to her and Percy. Then a few short "goodbye''s were muttered and Percy and Annabeth headed out. Nico watched them go, hands stuffed in his pockets. He shivered once more, then turned and began walking back to his cabin.

* * *

_Cabin 13 had never seemed so far away. As Nico trudged towards it, it seemed to be getting farther by the minute, not closer. The night was cold and clear. Nico felt chilled to the bone, like he would never be warm again. All around him campers walked in a mournfully slow gait towards their cabins. Nico did not think he was going to make it. His legs were shaking so badly he feared he would collapse before he reached the threshold. But he didn't. By all odds, Nico pushed into Cabin 13, immediately falling to the ground. The door swung shut with a click. He curled in on himself, drawing his knees to his chest, arms wrapped around his head. He couldn't draw a proper breath. He felt like he had when the twin Giants Otis and Ephialtes had captured him last summer and forced him into a bronze jar._ Suffocated.

 _Then long, tan arms encased Nico's trembling body. Slowly, gently, Will pulled him onto his lap and held him until the sobbing gasps ceased. Nico buried his face in Will's shoulder and_ breathed, _deeply, inhaling Will's warm scent. Nico wasn't sure how long they were slumped on the floor of the Hades cabin. Eventually, Will helped Nico to his feet, and, supporting his shaky legs, brought him to bed._

_Will undressed Nico, but there was nothing sexual about it. Once out of the clothes he'd worn to the memorial, Nico lay stretched out on his bed, shivering in his boxers. Usually he slept in only those and a t-shirt. Tonight however, Will decided a light t-shirt would not suffice and had stripped the gray hoodie from his own body. Nico dimly wondered when Will had had time to change into pajama pants, a ratty shirt, and a hoodie. But as soon as Nico had Will's hoodie wrapped around his body and Will's body wrapped around his own, it mattered no more._

_They cuddled under the blankets. Nico slept. Will stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, he loosened his grip on his boyfriend. He slipped out of bed, out of Cabin 13, out into the cold night air. The cleaning harpies gave him the evil eye, but didn't squawk to alert Chiron of the curfew violation. Even they cut the half-bloods some slack._

_Will kept his head down._

* * *

_Just before dawn, Nico woke. He was cold. He stretched an arm out, expecting to feel Will's familiar warm, comforting presence beside him._

_But Will had gone._

_Nico should have felt hurt and bewildered; Will had never left in the middle of the night before. And if there had been an emergency, the commotion would have awakened Nico as well. But Nico wasn't hurt. A little bewildered, maybe. Not hurt. He was too empty already to feel anything that acute. It would have to wait until morning,_

_Nico rolled over and went back to sleep._


	2. Chapter 2

That afternoon, Nico dragged himself down to the training was a feat that took much time and energy to accomplish. Nico did not want to train. He wanted to crawl back under the covers of his warm bed and sleep away his problems. His life too, possibly. He attempted this as soon as he returned from the dining pavilion that morning. Having just said a handful of painful goodbyes, Nico was ready for the day to be over. So he lied on his back for awhile, staring at the ceiling, waiting until he was ready to accept the fact that he was going to have to suffer through the rest of the day in a fully conscious state.

Eventually he was ready.

Despite the coffee Nico had drank earlier that morning, he was feeling sluggish. Nico typically enjoyed training. It was just times like this when he couldn't summon an ounce of motivation. He wasn't too concerned about it though; it had been a particularly rough morning. Even with his reluctance, he knew he would enjoy training when he began. Nico wished Chiron hadn't insisted on the visitors leaving before noon. When Percy was around, he and Nico would sometimes spar together. Percy was one of the best swordsman Camp Half-Blood had ever produced. And he was a great teacher. Nico himself was extremely skilled with deadly sharp objects, but he never turned down an opportunity to learn more.

Nico passed the dining pavilion on his way to the training arena. The cleaning harpies were making short work of the enormous mess the campers had made that morning. The picnic tables still had things to offer though: cups of coffee, pieces of fruit, granola and protein bars, even a few stray pieces of leftover bacon. Nico briefly considered grabbing another cup of coffee to boost his energy. Instead, he fished an almond butter protein bar out of the mix. He discarded the wrapper in a nearby wastebasket, and munched on it as he continued towards the arena. Nico made a mental note to tell Will that he had passed on coffee for actual food. _Will's going to be so proud_ , Nico thought smugly, but not without affection.

The arena was mercifully uncrowded. It was a popular time to train, but only the Ares kids and Kayla Knowles had shown up. The children of Ares were kicking shit around as usual, doing various things in small, mingled groups, shoving each other roughly around and yelling obscenities. Nico privately thought it comforted them. Kayla was not far off, shooting arrow after arrow in a vigorous continuation. The targets she was using were filling up quickly.

Nico pulled his Stygian Iron sword out of the sheath at his hip. It was cold and welcome in his hand, the familiar weight grounding. Nico swung it around experimentally. The blade cut through the air in graceful arcs. It was easier to train with another person when using a sword, but Nico was not about to invite an Ares kid over. He could already imagine the cynical grins that would be exchanged by the offspring of the god of war as they sent one of their siblings over to pulverize di Angelo's ass. None of them could probably beat Nico's technique, but they all had anywhere from fifty to a hundred pounds on him. Nico did not fancy limping over to Cabin 7 so Will could mend his half-dozen broken bones.

Nico eyed Kayla with interest. He didn't think she had ever even picked up a sword — she was a natural with a bow — but he wasn't looking at her for a training partner. The aggression in which she was firing her arrows intrigued him. Every single one hit a target, although few came close to the center. Nico had seen Kayla shoot for precision before; he knew she could hit a Bull's Eye almost every time if she was really trying. Right now though, she didn't seem to care where the arrows landed. She was angry, Nico realized. He could see it in taunt expression on Kayla's face, the hard set of her jaw, the tightly pressed line that was her lips. Nico recognized it in the aggression of her movements.

"What'd the target to do piss you off?"

Kayla started. She whirled around to see Nico staring at her, arms crossed. He had sheathed his sword before speaking. Kayla was breathing hard. She lowered her bow. "What do you want, di Angelo?"

Nico shrugged. Kayla's sharp tone of voice was uncharacteristic of her. He noticed her knuckles were white where they gripped the bow. The fact her hands were shaking did not surpass Nico either. He didn't bother asking Kayla if she was okay; the question was annoying and stupid, the answer almost always obvious. Nico had been asked if he was okay enough times to know it only made things worse. When had anyone ever responded honestly, anyway?

He should say something, Nico knew. He was absolutely dreadful at comforting and/or encouraging people. Nico wasn't even sure why Kayla was upset. It was, most likely, the events that had occurred at Camp Half-Blood over the last twenty-four hours. Everyone was shaken. Everyone was pissed. But what could Nico say? While he was pondering this, Kayla dropped her bow and walked away. Nico barely had time to register how strange this careless behavior towards her precious weapon was, when Kayla lunged at a punching bag hanging from one of the arena's lower ceilings. Nico watched in mild alarm as Kayla kicked and punched at the bag. Even the Ares kids stopped their bickering and glanced over, surprise and admiration clear on their tough faces.

Nico let Kayla unleash her wrath on the punching bag until her face was red and her breathing coming in labored gasps. But she didn't stop, like Nico had expected her to when she became exhausted. She kept raining down blows.

"Kayla,'' Nico called, "Kayla, stop.''

She didn't. Sherman Yang was smiling sadistically. Nico strode forward. He grabbed Kayla by her shoulders, pulling her away from the swinging bag. She jerked away from him. He caught her by the wrist. As she struggled against him, Nico noticed the tear tracks running down her sweaty face. Her knuckles were split and bloody.

"Kayla, _enough!_ Stop it!" Nico tried to be gentle. "You're going to hurt yourself."

Kayla was shaking all over, panting, and now sobbing as well. Convinced she was safe, Nico let go of her wrist. Kayla threw her arms around him. She was crying harder than ever. Panic washed over Nico. He didn't like being touched. But he didn't try to squirm away. Instead, with great effort, Nico wrapped his arms around her. The Ares kids now looked properly uncomfortable. The previously encouraging, admiring, respectful looks were wiped from their faces. They slunk away, back to their own training exercises.

Nico sighed. He let his cheek fall against Kayla's trembling shoulder. "Come on,'' he murmured. "Let's get you to Will.''

Cabin 7 was quiet, like everything else, but not in an unsettling way. It was peaceful. Nico attributed this to Will, who seemed to radiate tranquility. Of course, it could have also been that there were only three residents of Cabin 7: Will, Kayla, and their brother Austin. The latter must not be home, thought Nico. He couldn't hear the wailing of a saxophone anywhere nearby.

The children of Apollo had his talents spread out rather evenly among them. Apollo was the god of many things, including healing, archery, and music. Will was the most skilled healer Camp Half-Blood had had in years. Kayla was a master with a bow and arrow. Austin had his father's musical gift, which Nico found more annoying than anything. It was times like this though, with Kayla limping wearily beside him, that Nico was reminded of Apollo's brief stay at Camp in January. Apollo, under the alias Lester Papadopoulos, had been a complete disaster. Disoriented, humiliated, and completely out of his element, nothing Apollo had done reminded Nico of his children, least of all Will. But then, Nico never could forget how frantic Apollo had become when Kayla and Austin had disappeared for a short period of time. Despite everything, Apollo _loved_ his children. He was proud of them. Nico respected him for it.

The infirmary was located in Cabin 7. Kayla followed Nico straight around to the back door. This was the way Nico usually came in. When Will wasn't attending to other duties around Camp, he was here. Campers dropped in pretty frequently, needing a splinter pulled out or a cut bandaged. Nico didn't mind seeing them come and go. He liked to watch Will work. He admired Will's compassion and skilled healing process. But Nico liked it best when it was only him and Will in the infirmary. Sometimes they would organize things, take inventory of the ambrosia and nectar stocks, roll bandages, etc. Mostly, though, they just sat on the floor or counter and talked. Occasionally they would make out. _Okay,_ admitted Nico to himself, _we make out a lot._

When Nico pushed the door open, Will looked up. He was sitting with his legs crossed on a countertop, flipping through a stack of papers. A grin crossed his face as soon as he saw Nico . . . and vanished when he caught sight of Kayla. Will jumped down and hurried over. "Kayla, what happened?" He snatched up Kayla's bloodied hands, carefully examining the split knuckles.

Kayla didn't meet her brother's gaze. Her gingerhair had come undone from her ponytail and was hanging in her face. Will lead her over to sit down, while Nico instinctively grabbed rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls. Will smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, babe,'' he whispered.

Nico watched as his boyfriend set to work cleaning Kayla's wounds. Kayla winced slightly at the sting of the alcohol. Will worked in silence, not speaking again until he had wrapped clean white bandages around her hands. She muttered her thanks and moved to get up, but Will gently pushed her back down.

Kayla blew out an exasperated sigh. She seemed to have gotten over her emotional breakdown pretty quickly. "What? Can't I go now?'' She whined.

Will crossed his tan arms over his chest. "Kayla, come on. What happened?''

Groaning, Kayla threw up her arms. "Nothing! I'm fine!''

Will gave her the look of a disappointed parent.

Kayla glanced at Nico: _Your boyfriend is annoying_.

He shrugged: _What am I supposed to do about it?_

"Did you get in a fight?"

"I— No! Gods, _Will!"_

"Just trying to watch out for you, sis.''

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself.'' Kayla pushed past Will to the door, slamming it behind her as she left.

Nico and Will stood in silence for a few moments. Then Will began cleaning up after his patient. Nico helped him. Once the rubbing alcohol and bandages had been put away and the used cotton balls disposed of, Will sat down heavily on one of the beds. Nico joined him, leaning back and propping himself up on his arms. Will's eyes sparkled blue as they gazed full of love and longing at him. Nico tipped his head to the side so it rest on one of Will's hunched shoulders. Will kissed his forehead. "How you doing, Neeks?''

Nico closed his eyes and exhaled. "Not too bad, Sunshine.''

Nico felt Will moving against him. Arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him close. Nico relinquished his arms, no longer needing them to support his weight, and snaked them around Will. He traced his fingertips down the taller boy's spine, all the way to the waistband of his jeans, where they lingered before sliding back up, this time under the t-shirt. Will's skin was warm against Nico's icy hands. The lean muscles of his chest and stomach were taunt and familiar to Nico.

Will lay back, pulling Nico down on top of him. Nico wrapped his legs, which were as long and thin as whipcord, around Will hips, so their bodies were flat against each other. Will kissed Nico's throat, his jaw, his collarbone. By the time he made it to Nico's mouth, they were both gasping in pleasure. Their lips met and mingled, pulling away only long enough to draw air stutteringly into their lungs before they crashed together again.

After they had exhausted themselves and the intimacy leveled out to soft kisses and gentle caresses, Will spoke. "Nico,'' he said in between kisses, "Nico, I'm sorry. For last night. For leaving.''

Nico, who now lay beside him, blinked slowly at him. Will's eyes, gods, _his eyes._ They were a color of blue Nico didn't think he'd ever seen before. Or would ever see again, save in the eyes of his lover. It was a color that was in Will's eyes only, it existed nowhere else. Nico ran a thumb under the fragile skin below them. He was lying close enough to where he could see the faint freckles that graced Will's tan cheeks.

"It's okay,'' whispered Nico. It was. Nico hadn't been hurt.

"Really?" Will asked doubtfully.

Nico kissed him. "Really.''

Will ran his hands through Nico's dark hair. "Really,'' he murmured, almost to himself. He pulled Nico's face closer to his own. "Really." He kissed him. "I really love you, Nico di Angelo."

Nico kissed him back, kissed him again. He nuzzled his head in Will's neck. "Really,'' he said against Will's hot skin. "I really love you, Will Solace.''

They lay together in a quiet serenity for sometime. Occasional touches, occasional kisses. Occasional whispers. Nico was unsure how much time passed. He closed his eyes. When he opened them he was pretty sure he had dozed off. Will's eyes were shut as well, but they blinked open while Nico gazed at him, as if Will could sense him. Will smiled and lifted Nico's hand to his lips.

"What time is it?'' Nico murmured.

"It's nearly dinnertime,'' replied Will.

Nico started to sit up. _Dinnertime?_ They'd been there all afternoon. Will caught Nico by the shoulder. "What have you eaten today?"

Nico groaned, pulling away. "Will, I swear to the gods—"

Will held his hands up. "Hey, don't jump to conclusions, Death Boy.''

"What does that mean?"

"I was only asking because if you're not hungry, I was thinking we could just stay here the rest of the night.''

Nico blinked in surprise. There was technically a curfew for the campers; they weren't allowed to leave their cabins after hours. This was typically heavily reinforced. But Will and Nico had found a loophole — Nico was the only resident of Cabin 13, except for when Hazel came to visit. The other campers had at least one sibling in the winter, and a dozen in the summer. If Will was able to make it to Cabin 13 before curfew, he could stay the night. Technically it was against the rules. But Austin and Kayla turned a blind eye, and no one else was about to question why Will and Nico came out of the Hades Cabin together almost every morning. When the camp filled up in the summer, they knew they would probably not be able to get away with it and have to sleep separately, so they took advantage of the mostly empty camp.

They had never spent the night in Cabin 7. For the obvious reasons of Will's siblings being there. It had never occurred to Nico that they could stay in the infirmary. Cabin 13 was more comfortable, but in the summer the infirmary would be much more discreet . . .

"Neeks.'' Will's voice jarred Nico from his thoughts. "Have. You. Eaten.''

"Babe, I love you,'' began Nico, "but you've got to stop constantly inquiring me about my daily nourishment.''

"If I didn't, you would starve to death,'' Will replied matter-of-factly. "So? Don't bother lying.''

Nico didn't. "I had a protein bar,'' he grumbled.

"Alrightie, Cabin 13 it is for tonight.'' Will rolled out of bed, dragging Nico after him.

Hand in hand, Will and Nico headed down to the dining pavilion. Nico was nearly weak in the knees from relief that the morning's tension between them had vanished. Nico could tolerate a lot. He was the son of Hades; he'd had to tolerate a whole lot of bullshit in his life, whether you counted that as 82 years or 15 **.** But Nico drew the line at fighting with Will. It made him feel physically ill. Will was the best thing in Nico's life. He made him happy, which Nico hadn't thought was a feeling he would ever experience again after Bianca died. Then came Will to take him in his arms, to keep him safe. Nico could protect himself from monsters, but he could not protect himself from his own inner demons. Will was his saving grace.

Nico sat at the Apollo table that night. The camp was still more subdued than usual, but the majority of the campers seemed to have relaxed over the afternoon. Austin and Kayla were already seated when Will and Nico joined them. They seemed to be deep in an animated conversation. Austin was gesturing wildly with his hands, which Nico thought was him demonstrating some new saxophone technique to his sister. Kayla was humoring him, a ghost of an amused smile dancing on her lips. Her bandaged hands rested in her lap. Both the children of Apollo greeted their brother and Nico as they sat down across from them. The picnic table was crowded with colorful plates of pasta salad and garlic bread. As they ate, Will quizzed Kayla on her split knuckles. He still wanted to know what had happened, if it hurt, if she thought she needed some ambrosia. She assured him what had happened didn't matter, it did not hurt badly, and she was sure it would heal just fine on its own, thank you. Nico smirked. It was satisfying to see Will bugging someone other than him for a change.

Later that night, as Nico curled himself around Will's sleeping form, he remembered the words of a song his mother used to sing to him and Bianca. Later, after Maria di Angelo had died, Bianca had repeated the song to Nico on rare occasions at the Lotus Casino. Nico sang in a soft voice.

_Tu sei il mio soldatino_

_La ragione ho vissuto_

_Non ti scordar di mi_

_Lo veglierò su di te_

It did not really matter, Nico knew, who he was singing to. The words were the same ones Bianca had communicated to him: _You're my little soldier / the reason I live / don't forget me / I'm watching over you._

* * *

_The ironic thing, was that Nico was actually having a good day. He'd managed to get a full, uninterrupted eight hours of sleep the night before. He and Will had decided at breakfast that morning to take a day off of their usual duties around Camp and spend time together. They'd trained together for a bit, went on a long walk, and then crashed in Cabin 7. Austin had been practicing his music in the cabin, but had vacated it so Will and Nico could have their time. Will had thanked him profusely, but Austin simply shrugged and winked at Nico._

_Now Nico sat on Will's bed with his legs crossed, Will's fair head in his lap. They were laughing about nothing and everything and Nico was absently playing with Will's hair and Will was smiling radiantly at Nico and all was well and they were happy and it didn't last, couldn't last, but Nico wished it could have, would have,_ should _have._ _It_ should _have lasted. It didn't._

_The door of the Apollo Cabin flung open so quickly that it banged against the wall. The noise startled both Nico and Will. They jumped like kittens, but their position didn't change. Harley, son of Hephaestus, stood in the doorway, blinking in surprise at the boys on Will's bed. Nico and Will stared back._

_"Uhh,'' Harley shuffled his feet awkwardly after several more seconds passed. "I'm sorry . . . Didn't mean to intrude or anything . . . like that.''_

_"No worries,'' said Nico, voice coldly sarcastic. He kept his hands firmly locked in Will's golden hair._

_"What's up?" Will asked casually. "As you may have already noticed, the doctor's not in today. Can you come back tomorrow?"_

_Harley stammered an unintelligible reply._

_Will sighed heavily. "It's an emergency, isn't it?"_

_Nico smugly thought how quick Will usually was to respond to medical emergencies around Camp; Nico had done him well if Will was showing reluctance._

_"No, no,'' said Harley, quickly. "It's actually . . ." His eyes drifted to Nico. "It's actually him I came to see.''_

_"'Him' has a name, you know,'' Nico grumbled, nearly to himself. To Harley: "If you're in need of a chauffeur, you'll have to ask Argus. Jules-Albert is for my personal use only."_

_Harley cocked his head, confusion clearly etched on his face. "No,'' he said slowly, "I don't need a chauffeur. I have no idea what you're talking about?" He said it like a question. "Anyway,'' Harley continued quickly, "everyone's curious, and no one's heard anything, so we were wondering if you knew what was going on, di Angelo.'' He shrugged. "I drew the short straw, so they sent me to ask you.''_

_Nico was tempted to ask whether he was using that expression figuratively or literally, but refrained. He had been caught slightly off-guard by Harley's statement. "Whatever's going on,'' Nico said, "this is the first I've heard of it. Why_ would _I know, anyway?''_

_"Well,'' Harley bobbed his shoulders up like it was obvious. "Hazel Levesque_ is _your sister.''_

_Nico stiffened. "Hazel's here?"_

_Harley nodded._

_"When she'd get here?" He demanded._

_"I dunno. Half an hour ago?''_

_Will sat up. He turned to Nico, eyes sparkling excitedly. "That's great! I wonder why though?''_

_Nico did not share Will's optimism, as per usual. He suddenly had a heavy sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed hard. "Let's go find out.''_

_Harley ran ahead to catch up with the other campers, who had gathered in a cluster outside the Big House. They were whispering excitedly to each other. As Will and Nico approached, Nico noticed Billie Ng , one of the Demeter kids, feeding three Pegasi apples from her hand. Nico realized with a jolt one of the Pegasi was Blackjack, who had once belonged to Percy Jackson, before he passed him on to —_

_"Reyna.''_

_Will gave him a sideways glance. "Did you say something, babe?"_

_"Reyna's here.'' Nico's mouth felt numb. It wasn't that he dreaded seeing Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano - on the contrary, he missed her almost as much as Hazel. She and Nico had become friends when they had taken on the tedious task of transporting the Athena Parthenos halfway across the world last summer. They had remained close since then, writing each other frequently. A few times, Hazel had even put Reyna on the phone when she and Nico were calling. Reyna was praetor at Camp Jupiter, which meant she was very busy. If she had taken the time to come all the way to New York, it couldn't be good._

_Nico vaguely wondered who had come on the third Pegasus. Frank, he decided. Who else? Nico hadn't seen Hazel's boyfriend since Christmas either._

_The doors of the Big House opened. Reyna, Hazel, and Frank strode out, dressed in traditional Roman formal wear. Their faces were blank. Nico narrowed his eyes. The small crowd of campers had fallen silent when the door opened, but now as the three Roman demigods descended the stairs, the air was electric with whispers. No one made any effort to greet the visitors. Nico assumed everyone had already tried and been only briskly acknowledged. The Greek half-bloods were generally the more friendly bunch._

_Reyna graciously thanked Billie for feeding the Pegasi. She and Frank began preparing for flight. Hazel's head was craning around, trying to see over the heads of the campers. She wasn't very tall. Nico didn't need anyone to tell him who she was looking for._

_Will leaned closer to Nico. "You should go to her.''_

_"Yeah. I know.'' Nico and Will were standing a little ways away from the others. Will had automatically stopped before they got too close, knowing Nico didn't do well in crowds. Nico could see a clear path to get to his sister, but he hesitated. He was afraid of what she might tell him. It hadn't slipped past Nico that Chiron had not yet emerged from the Big House. Not to escort their visitors out, not to address the waiting campers._

Gods, what could have possibly happened now? _A few weeks ago, Camp Half-Blood had received word that Camp Jupiter had been attacked. But Leo Valdez had warned them of the attack in enough time so that they were prepared enough that the losses were not too great. Mostly just structural damage. Could they have been attacked again?_

_Will nudged Nico with his shoulder. "You don't know when you'll see her again,'' he reminded him._

_Nico sighed, knowing his boyfriend was right. He began slipping through the crowd towards Hazel. As soon as she caught sight of him, a relieved smile broke out on her face, and she was there, flinging her arms around his neck. Nico stumbled back a little, from both surprise and the force of Hazel's enthusiastic reaction to seeing him. Hazel clung tightly to him. Nico wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her dark curls. One of them was trembling. Nico wasn't sure who it was. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas. Three whole months. Nico was only just then realizing how much he had missed his sister._

_"Nico,'' Hazel gasped against his chest. "Nico, wait.'' She pulled away from him. Tears shone in her gold eyes. "There's something I need to tell you.'' Her fingers were still digging into his bony shoulders._

_Nico was startled by her urgency. Hazel was usually so composed. After everything she'd been through, it took a lot to shake her. He wasn't sure he wanted to know whatever it was she had to tell him. But there was no way of avoiding it; he would listen, because they were family. "Okay.'' He managed to keep his voice steady. "What's up?"_

_Hazel bit her lip. Her gaze fell as if she were comprehending how exactly to tell him the news. Nico glanced nervously at Frank, who was staring blankly at them, and Reyna, who was stroking Blackjack and looking several shades of concerned._

_"We should go to the Hades cabin,'' said Hazel finally._

_"Why—"_

_"Because we must speak in private.'' Hazel was speaking more forcefully than Nico had ever heard her._

_"Alright,'' Nico agreed. Hazel grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward their Father's cabin. Nico looked desperately back over his shoulder, trying to find Will. But the campers were dispersing after several apparent failed attempts to get information from Frank, who looked vaguely ill. No one appeared to have approached the topic with Reyna, which Nico couldn't blame them for. Reyna was watching Hazel and Nico, back straight, head held high. She was calm, but her expression wavered the moment she turned away from the campers, towards Nico and his sister. The brief fault in expression screamed devastation in a way that was so familiar to Nico is felt like an old friend. A shiver ran down his spine._

_Cabin 13 was only equipped for one resident, since there was only Nico and no chance of ever getting another Hades child because of the Big Threes' pact to not have any more mortal children (Zeus and Poseidon had already broken it, but that figured). When Hazel did stay at Camp Half-Blood, she and Nico simply hung a sheet to divide the bedroom. Although she was rarely there, Hazel seemed right at home in the Hades cabin, even while she paced, wringing her hands. Nico stood patiently waiting for her to pull herself together. When she finally did turn to him and speak, he wished time. Would. Stop. "Neeks,'' she whispered. "Jason Grace is dead.''_

_And just like that, the air flooded out of Nico's lungs. He stood rooted to the spot. He blinked once, then said, "Okay.''_

_Hazel choked on a sob. "I'm so sorry, Nico. I know you two . . . Gods, he cared about you so much, Neeks. He—"_

"Okay,'' _Nico said again. "I said 'okay'.'' His throat was raw._

Jason Grace is dead.

_Gods, oh gods. Hadn't Nico just spoken to him a week ago? Jason was in L.A. He was going to boarding school. He liked it alright, but he missed Camp. He was heartbroken, but he was surviving._

_Wait. No._

_Jason._

_Wasn't._

_Surviving._

Jason Grace is dead.

_Hazel's expression was tormented as she watched Nico struggle to keep himself from shattering permanently before her eyes. "I just thought you should know,'' she said, in a soft voice, "before everyone else. Chiron is going to announce it after dinner tonight. I thought maybe it would hurt less if you didn't find out surrounded by people.''_

_"You thought wrong.'' Nico couldn't catch his breath. Jason Grace? Why Jason Grace? Why not him, or Hazel, or Will? Why not Percy fucking Jackson? Was there some point, some reason, gods,_ any reason at all _that Jason Grace should die? He was . . . Jason. He was Jason. He was Nico's friend. He was the first person to learn Nico's secret, the secret Nico thought he would carry to his grave. Jason had been the one to convince Nico that he wouldn't be hated, or scorned, or rejected by any of them for being gay. Jason had been the one to tell Nico it was okay, it was all going to be okay, just hang in there a little longer. Jason had been the one to stop Nico from destroying himself. Jason had taught Nico not to love himself, not quite, although he had tried his damnedest, but to not hate himself, which was a start. After the first few phone conversations they'd shared, Nico had wondered where he would be if he had never met Jason Grace. Not at Camp Half-Blood. Definitely not with Will by his side. Probably not happy or at peace. Maybe not even alive. Nico had been sliding the slippery slope of self-destruction when Jason had flown in and pulled him out, wrapped his wings around him. His saving Grace._

_Hazel moved forward to hug him again, but he stepped back. "What happened, Hazel?''_

_Hazel was used to Nico's mood swings and didn't appear hurt by the sudden withdrawal. "I'm not entirely sure. Apollo just showed up at Camp Jupiter with the body a couple days ago. Apparently, he met up with Jason and Piper in Los Angeles and things . . . went wrong. We were able to give Jason a traditional Roman funeral, but we had to do it quickly. Another attack was coming,'' Hazel shook her head distractedly, "it's a long story. It was bad though. Frank almost died.'' Hazel's voice cracked. "That's why it took us a couple days to bring word here. We had to wait for him to recover and get Camp Jupiter back to normal and Reyna wanted to all three of us to deliver the news in person . . ." Hazel trailed off as she realized she was rambling._

_Jason was gone. Really gone, Nico could feel it. With a start, Nico realized: Jason had been dead less than a week. Nico had had no idea. Why hadn't Nico known? He should have. He'd known Leo was dead. Though after Leo came back, Nico hadn't been able to pinpoint the exact moment he knew Leo was no longer dead. And, he remembered with a fresh wave of pain, he hadn't known when Bianca died._ Fuck you, Dad, and the unreliable shitty powers you gave me.

_"I'm so sorry, Nico.''_

_Nico nodded numbly. He couldn't think of anything else to say. Hazel looked like she was going to try to hug him again, but just then there was a knock at the door. Nico saw her throat contract as she swallowed, then call in a strained voice, "Come in."_

_Nico thought it was Will. It was not Will. But then, again, Will wouldn't have knocked._

_It was Reyna. She stood in the doorway, back straight, head high. Her long, dark hair was in a braid that fell to her waist. When she saw that only Hazel and Nico were in the cabin, she relaxed slightly. For the first time, she looked at Nico. Really looked at him; this was no passing glance. Nico saw the devastation return in her tired dark eyes. He knew how close she and Jason had been. They had grown up at Camp Jupiter together. He wasn't positive this was true, but Nico thought he'd heard that Reyna and Jason had been in love before Hera stole the latter's memories. Or maybe just Reyna had loved Jason? Nico really didn't have time for straight people drama. Regardless, Reyna was deeply hurt. Nico wanted to help her. He remembered how much Reyna had helped him. He never had been able to make it up to her, although he knew she neither expected or wanted anything in return. She had been there for him because she was kind, although not many people thought of her that way._

_Hazel quickly pulled herself together. "_ Ave, _Reyna—"_

_Reyna held up a hand. "It's alright, Hazel.''_

_"I know we were about to leave, and I ran off, and I'm sorry, but—''_

_"I said it was fine,'' Reyna cut her off again. "You aren't in trouble.''_

_Hazel still looked discomforted._

_Nico touched her shoulder. "At ease, soldier.''_

_Hazel smiled weakly, but she did relax._

_"Nico.'' Nico looked up as Reyna said his name, warmth lacing her tone. Her expression had softened, some of the weariness diminished. "It's good to see you.''_

_Nico tried to smile. "Yeah. It's been awhile.''_

_"How are you holding up?"_

Since I found out about Jason three minutes ago, or in general? My head is spinning, I can't draw a deep breath, my legs are shaking, and I think I might pass out. _"Fine,'' Nico croaked._

_Reyna pursed her lips. "I'm going to excuse you for lying to me, because I'm the one at fault for asking a stupid question with an obvious answer.''_

_There was a long silence. Nico couldn't think of anything to say. He wanted to ask Reyna how she was doing, but that too was a stupid question with an obvious answer._

_Frank appeared in the doorway, saving them all from speaking more meaningless words of comfort to each other. "Hey, guys.'' He looked a little awkward, which was the standard usual for Frank._

_"What's going on?" Reyna asked, a little stiffly._

_"Nothing,'' replied Frank. "I just though I'd inform you that the Pegasi are getting restless.''_

_Reyna inclined her head knowingly. "Alright. We should leave anyway. Hazel?"_

_Hazel took a deep breath. "I'm ready.''_

_"Frank, prepare the Pegasi for flight.''_

_"Will do.'' Frank turned to leave, then hesitated. His eyes slid from where they automatically lay on Hazel, to Nico. "Um. It was great seeing you, di Angelo.''_

_"Yeah, uh, you too.'' Nico and Frank had an understanding - love Hazel Levesque and protect her at all costs. Other than that though, Frank kept his friendly distance and Nico was just fine with that._

_As Frank's heavy footfalls faded away, Reyna turned back to Nico. She stepped closer to him. "Nico, will you be okay? And don't bother bullshitting me; I'll know.''_

_"I will . . . I will be fine, Reyna. Will you?''_

_Reyna lifted her chin slightly. "Yes, in time. We just have to keep on keeping on,'' she smiled sadly, "isn't that right?''_

_Nico's throat contracted. Reyna placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them with firm reassurance. "I feel the need to remind you that there's somebody in your corner all the way across the country. If you ever need anything at all—''_

_"I know,'' Nico whispered. The weight on his chest was crushing him._

_"Never forget there are people who love you, Nico di Angelo.'' Reyna pulled him into a gentle hug, and he allowed it. Nico remembered the last time Reyna had hugged him, after the Giant War, when she had practically demanded he be recognized for the effort he put into bringing the Parthenos to New York to save the camps from destroying each other. Nico remembered the security he had felt in that hug. Now was no different. Reyna held him, and Nico relaxed, the pain of loss receded momentarily. It only lasted a short time, but it was enough. Nico was able to form coherent sentences when saying farewell to Hazel and Reyna. Hazel hugged Nico again, so tightly Nico felt his ribs compress._

_Then they left._

_Nico stared at the closed door. He wasn't sure how long he stood there. Long enough that his mind sorted through the shit and demanded he lay down. Nico made it only a few steps, before collapsing. Nico stayed there for another extended period of time, gasping on his hands and knees. Eventually, he was able to drag himself up onto his bed and roll onto his back. Staring at the ceiling, Nico vaguely wondered where Will was._

Jason Grace is dead.

_Nico sat abruptly sat up. For a moment he thought his body was saying "fuck this" and he was about to throw up. Instead, he reached behind his bed and pulled out his cellphone. He turned it on and waited. When the screen lit-up, he quickly scrolled through his call history. Since Nico only ever called two people, the names formed a pattern:_ Hazel, Jason Grace, Hazel, Jason Grace, Hazel, Jason Grace, _on and on and on._

_Nico went to his texts. He barely texted. He had a couple logistical texts from Hazel, but that was about it._

_Except. The one._

hey nico it's Jason grace from camp. I got ur number from hazel. I haven't heard from u in a long time and I thogut maybe we could call sometime to chat. this is my number plz call :)

_Nico shut his phone off and dropped back behind the bed. He lay back down. He ran his hands repetitively through his hair, raking his scalp with his fingernails. Not being able to draw a breath was no longer the problem. Now Nico couldn't seem to stop drawing breaths, coming ragged and quick. He stopped his now shaking hands and clenched them tightly into fists. He opened and closed them , Nico squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the blank picture of the ceiling. He pressed his palms against his eyes, heels in sockets, and tried to calm his rapid breathing._

_When Nico woke up, Will was standing over him. "Hey, you okay, Neeks?" His face was screwed tight with concern, which Nico would have either found annoying or adorable if circumstances were different._

_Nico blinked the last remnants of sleep away. When had he fallen asleep?_

Jason Grace is dead.

_"I'm fine.''_

_Will crouched down beside him. "You sure?''_

_"Yep.'' Nico pushed himself up on his elbows. "Worry not, my Sunshine. All is well.''_

_Will smiled brightly then. "Good. Because it's dinnertime, and Austin heard from Katie, who heard from a nymph, who heard from a satyr that Chiron has an important announcement to make after we eat. It has to be about our visitors from Camp Jupiter.'' Will implored curiously then, "Speaking of which, I lost you after you went to talk to Hazel. Where'd you get off to?"_

_"It was loud by the Big House, so we came up here to talk.'' It was the truth, after all._

_Will nodded. "I'm glad you got to see her.''_

_"It was great,'' Nico choked, causing Will to cast him a suspicious glance_. Should I just tell him about Jason now and get it over with? _But Nico knew he couldn't get the words out. He wasn't ready._ Better for Will to hear with the rest of Camp Half-Blood tonight. I'll tell him privately later that already Hazel told me. _Will would understand, Nico knew. He cleared his throat. "It was nice seeing her, you know? And Reyna too. I guess Frank as well. It had been awhile.''_

_"Yes,'' said Will. "Too bad they couldn't stay longer.''_

_"They were in a hurry to get back to Camp Jupiter,'' Nico explained. "With all the attacks they've been having recently.''_

_Will's pale eyebrows shot up. "'All the attacks'? I thought it was just the one?''_

_Nico shook his head. "No, apparently there was another.''_

_Will's expression darkened. "Dad wasn't involved, was he?"_

_"Yes, he was,'' said Nico quickly. "But he's fine.'' Hazel didn't exactly say that — Apollo was probably far from fine right then — but she didn't say otherwise either, which Nico assumed she would have if the mortal god would have been injured._

_Nodding in relief, Will stood up. He pulled Nico to his feet and linked arms with him. "Well, in that case: Dinner here we come!"_

_Chiron was not at dinner. Every camper had come to the dining pavilion much more in the hope of discovering the reason behind the Romans' brief visit, than to actually eat. Everyone whispered excitedly to each other. Meanwhile, at the Apollo table, Will expressed his concern for Chiron. Will worried about people's well-being all the time, he was just a good person like that, Nico knew. Most of the time, it was needless, but not that night. Nico didn't like thinking about how Chiron was taking the news of losing another camper._

_Kayla and Austin chattered about "the news". They exchanged theories and rumors they had heard. Will watched them with a look of amusement. All around them, the other picnic tables of campers were displaying similar behaviors of anticipation. Nico felt sick. The half-bloods had gotten the wrong idea. They thought they were about to hear good news. Some exciting new development between Camps Half-Blood and Jupiter. So when Chiron clopped wearily to the head table and waited while the campers fell silent, the words that came out of his mouth were nothing less than shocking._

_Nico's ears were buzzing during the first part, his stomach rolling. Chiron explained that Reyna, Frank, and Hazel had come by that afternoon to deliver some tragic news. The campers exchanged puzzled, nervous glances amongst themselves. Nico saw Chiron close his eyes for a moment. It was as if the old centaur was praying. Then he opened his eyes and lifted his head._

_"Jason Grace is dead.''_

_Nico wasn't sure what he expected the reaction to be. Dramatic gasps, maybe a few strangled cries. But no. The reality was much, much worse._

Silence.

_Utter and complete. Silence._

_The campers sat on picnic table benches and stared up at Chiron. Some looked stunned, some confused, some properly devastated, and others demanding. Demanding an explanation. Demanding revenge. Demanding Chiron to cut the bullshit and say it was all just a big joke, a drill meant to test their reaction time, and that every single camper had failed. That Chiron was disappointed, but it was okay, it didn't matter, because Jason Grace wasn't really dead after all. It was okay._

_Chiron said no such thing. Instead, he began telling the demigods what had happened. Nico barely heard him. He caught something about Los Angeles, Jason and Piper, Coach Hedge, and a boat. The emperor Caligula. Apollo and Meg. Jason dying to save them. A hero's sacrifice, Chiron called it._

_Sometime during his speech, Will's fingers had laced with Nico's. Will's lips were pressed together, bloodless. Austin was staring at Chiron, mouth slightly open. Kayla was crying softly into her hands. Nico watched Chiron speak. He couldn't look anywhere else. He couldn't see the grief of the others. Witnessing Hazel's and Reyna's and Will's and Austin's and Kayla's and his own damn grief was enough. Chiron said something about how Jason had already been given a traditional Roman burial at Camp Jupiter, but Chiron wanted Camp Half-Blood to commemorate him as well. The Greek demigods were to have their own memorial ceremony for Jason._

_Then Chiron bade them goodnight, and began trotting back to the Big House. The all-encompassing silence was slowly broken. More people had begun to cry. The Ares kids were cursing Caligula's name, while blinking at the speed of lightning. Malcolm Pace from the Athena Cabin was still staring at the spot Chiron had stood, eyes wide. Murmurs and whispers. Sobs and sniffles. Then, one by one, the campers left the pavilion._

_"Nico.'' Will's blue eyes were full of tears. He was still holding Nico hand, which had gone limp in his. Will lifted Nico's hand and pressed it against his own cheek. "Did you know?" He whispered._

_"Yes.'' Nico's whispered back, meeting his eyes._

_Will's nodded, as if he had known all along. He sighed shakily. "Oh my gods.''_

_Nico closed his eyes and let his head fall on Will's shoulder. He willed the pain to leave him. But it did not._

_Jason Grace was dead._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used is "Soldatino (Nico's Lullaby)" by Paola Bennet. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/f9fu5rJ3k4Q


	3. Chapter 3

Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Dionysus, Hermes, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hephaestus. Hades. The faces of the Olympian gods loomed on the battered old playing cards Nico was shuffling through. He lay on his stomach on the floor of Cabin 13. The wooden planks were stiff and cool beneath him, the hard surface poking his ribs uncomfortably. Nico shifted up onto his elbows.

Mythomagic was a children's game. A stupid children's game, thought Nico contemptibly. It focused on Greek mythology and involved collectible cards and miniature figurines. When Nico was ten, he had been obsessed. Nico had kept some of the cards after the Titan War, although he had thrown most of them into a fire near the River Styx. Nico had left the game behind when Bianca had died, along with his childhood. When Percy Jackson had come back from the fateful quest that had gotten Bianca killed, he had given Nico a Mythomagic figurine. It was the only one he hadn't had: Hades, his father. This forever tied the game to Bianca's death, tainting the happy memories Nico had of playing it.

Usually, Nico avoiding thinking about the game altogether. But that night, he hadn't been able to sleep. This sometimes happened when Will didn't sleep with him. Will had been busy in the infirmary since the afternoon. A couple campers had been injured and no one knew what had happened yet. They had gone into the forest surrounding Camp and a few hours later had crawled back just before passing out. It was odd. They appeared mostly just exhausted, like they had ran several miles at full sprint all the way back to Camp. But they were also all bleeding from several shallow cuts. One kid had three broken fingers. As far as Nico knew, they were still unconscious. Will wanted to monitor them closely because of mysterious circumstances surrounding the injuries, so he had stayed in Cabin 7 for the night. Nico was fine with this, of course. Will was just doing his job. Nico was proud of him and his dedication. But it did cause problems for Nico.

Nico had intense, vivid nightmares when he slept. Sometimes even when Will was sleeping beside him. Nico would wake with a start, drenched in sweat, shaking all over. Or, more rarely, he would wake screaming. When this happened, Will was there immediately, holding him close, murmuring comforting things in his ear until Nico relaxed and fell back asleep. Except for when Will _wasn't_ there. Anymore, this was a rare occasion, but when it did occur, the nightmares were always worse. Nico didn't think Will knew that part of it and he was not about to tell him; he didn't want Will to feel pressured to sleep with him every night.

That night, after maybe two hours of sleep, Nico had awakened from a particularly gruesome nightmare, and not gone back to sleep. At first he had lain in bed hoping to fall back asleep and praying to Hypnos that he had no more bad dreams. Then his mind had wandered to . . . undesirable places. This often happened when Nico had nothing else to occupy his thoughts. Nico had already had one emotional breakdown that week over Jason's death and he did not care to have another. So when a little voice in his head reminded him that Jason had promised to always be there for him _(always),_ Nico had kicked off his blankets. He'd fallen to his hands and knees by his bed and reached under the mattress, pulling out a handful of cards with the faces of gods displayed on them.

He spent hours flipping through the old Mythomagic cards. He read each one over and over, zoning in on every little detail until he had each one memorized back-to-front. When Nico was younger, fresh out of the Lotus Casino, before his first nightmarish experience at Camp Half-Blood, he had based all his knowledge of Greek mythology on Mythomagic. Nico couldn't help but recall how excited he'd been when he first learned it was all real. That excitement hadn't lasted long. Bianca had left him. Abandoned him, really. She'd gone off with the Hunters of Artemis, leaving him at the first chance she got. Then she'd died. The rest all blended together for Nico.

Nico tried hard not to blame Bianca for wanting to go out on her own. She had taken care of him since their mother died; she deserved a break. And Nico knew she _never_ thought her leave would be so goddamn permanent. This was why he kept the Mythomagic cards, but hid them away. He didn't want to remember, but he didn't want to forget. When Bianca felt distant or he couldn't recall the sound of her laugh or her smile or her favorite Italian terms of endearment, Nico pulled a fistful of Mythomagic cards out from under his mattress. He either held them in his palm and stared or flipped through them with stinging eyes. Now Nico rubbed at his smarting, damp eyes and pushed the cards back under his mattress.

The sky outside was beginning to turn the sleepy gray of dawn. The sun was on the rise. Camp Half-Blood was getting ready for the day.

Nico decided to take a shower. There was enough time before breakfast and he needed to wash off the dried sweat sticking to his back. He turned the water cold. Nico gasped as the freezing water made contact with his skin, but he didn't step away or turn it warmer. He was shivering by the time he stepped out of the shower. He wrapped a towel the color of blood around his narrow shoulders and padded back into his room to get clothes. Once Nico was dressed, he checked back in the bathroom to stare at himself in the mirror. He looked like he had gotten exactly two hours of sleep. He wondered with some dark humor if the Aphrodite kids could hook him up with something for the shadows under his eyes.

Nico turned to shut the bathroom light off before he left, but halted abruptly. He caught sight of something wadded-up on the floor. He crept cautiously forward to investigate. It was Will's hoodie. Nico remembered him leaving it there several nights before. The night of the memorial. Nico also remembered, with some guilt, tossing it aside and leaving it there. He mentally apologized to Will. Nico picked it up and shook it out. He couldn't believe he had left it there for several days without noticing. His bathroom wasn't typically clean anyway, but still. This was _Will's hoodie._

Hesitation paused Nico for a moment. It was a cool spring morning. He was wearing his usual dark jeans and orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt. He got cold easily. He was already cold from his freezing shower, which he was already beginning to think was a stupid idea. The Camp t-shirts were short-sleeved.

Nico pulled Will's hoodie on. It was big on him, falling to mid-thigh, because Will was four inches taller than him. But it was still warm. And it smelled like his boyfriend, which made Nico smile shyly to himself. It was like having Will permanently encompassing him.

With his hands in the warm pockets of the hoodie, Nico went to breakfast. He felt lighter than he had in days, despite the rough night. His heart sank a little when he saw that Will was not at the dining pavilion. He slid onto the bench across from Austin, who was buttering a slice of bacon. Nico tried not to wince when Austin shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Austin waved. Nico blinked.

"Where is Will?" Nico asked after Austin swallowed. "And Kayla,'' he added as an afterthought.

"Oh man,'' sighed Austin, looking suddenly grim. "Will was up all night in the infirmary with the hurt people. Kayla and I both tried taking shifts so he could sleep for a bit, but they kept convulsing. . .'' He shook his head. "It's not good, bro. Will kind of had to stay with them this morning, and Kayla insisted on helping. I'm going to take them up some food when I'm finished here.''

Nico frowned. Why were the injured campers _convulsing?_ Nico glanced warily at the forest, eyes narrowed. What the Hades had happened to them out there?

"Don't bother,'' said Nico. He stood up and began stacking breakfast foods on a large plate. "I can take it up to them.''

Austin brightened. "Do you mind? Awesome, dude, thanks! I told the satyrs I would assist their reedpipe class this morning, and I would hate to have to cancel on them.''

Nico shrugged in reply. He truly didn't mind. He brought enough food for Kayla, Will, and himself; he wanted to see Will immediately and didn't want to wait until he'd finished his own meal. He almost asked Austin if he thought the injured campers would be hungry, but stopped himself. They probably weren't even conscious.

As Nico headed toward Cabin 7, he realized he didn't know who had been hurt yesterday. He hadn't noticed anyone missing — other than Will and Kayla — at the pavilion. Everything had seemed pretty normal. Word had spread around Camp that some people had been injured in the forest, of course, but no one appeared all that concerned. Nico assumed this was because no one other than him and the Apollo kids knew that they were unconscious, delirious, and convulsing. Those types of things tended to startle and concern people more.

Nico balanced the plate of food between his wrist and hip as he opened the back door to the infirmary in Cabin 7. He managed to not let the scrambled eggs dribble onto the ground, barely.

Will was leaning over a girl whose face was hidden from Nico. At the sound of the door clicking closed, Will lifted his head. He looked absolutely exhausted. His tan skin lacked its usual glow. His eyes were slightly red. His blond hair hung lankly in his face. But when Will saw Nico, he greeted him with a grin to rival the sun. His features instantly lit up. Nico himself felt warmth flood through his limbs, like he was drunk on nectar.

Kayla was leaning against the counter, half-asleep. Nico set the plate of food down beside her. "Austin said you two were up here. Thought you might be hungry.''

Will beamed. He encircled Nico's waist with his long arms and kissed him. Nico kissed him back, then cast a sneaky glance at Kayla, who was popping a fat strawberry in her mouth, completely disinterested in her brother making out with his boyfriend. Satisfied (he didn't like being watched, especially not during an intimate moment), Nico deepened the kiss. Will murmured his appreciation against Nico's lips. Nico "no problem''-ed against Will's.

After an extended period of time had passed, Kayla piped up, "You know, Will, if you don't come get a _real_ meal now, I'm going to eat the rest.''

Will pulled away from Nico with a giggle. Nico's face flushed deeply.

"Hey,'' said Will, with a playful smile. "That's _my_ hoodie!"

"Well, you left it in _my_ cabin.''

"That was days ago,'' Will pointed out.

"I may have forgotten to give it back. You never asked for it, so I didn't think you missed it. Anyway, it's cuter on me.''

Will pecked him on the cheek. "That's for sure, babe.''

As Will moved away from the bed he stood by, Nico caught sight of the girl Will had been checking on. With a jolt, he recognized her. It was Katie Gardner. Nico's heart beat wildly in his chest as he approached the other two beds' occupants. Lying as still as the dead, unconscious, were Travis Stoll and Cecil Markowitz. Nico didn't know Cecil very well, but he and Katie were friendly, and Travis had been around Camp Half-Blood longer than almost anyone except Annabeth Chase. Nico remembered the fierce embrace Travis had shared with his brother Connor at Jason's memorial. Nico felt vaguely ill.

"The three of them were just out to have fun.'' Will's voice was impossibly soft. He had materialized beside Nico. "They had some weapons on them when they showed up back here yesterday, but Chiron doesn't think they were hunting anything. Most likely, they were armed as a precaution.''

_Some good that did them._

"It could have been a monster,'' continued Will. "There are cuts on Travis's stomach that look like claw marks. Cecil could have broken his fingers trying to punch it or something.'' Will shrugged, knowing it was a lame suggestion. "But they're sick. Unconscious, nearly unresponsive . . . Occasional convulsions, too. I'm not sure how a monster could cause that.''

"What do you think did cause it?" Nico asked quietly.

Will narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Poison.''

"Poison?" Nico was alarmed. "How would they have gotten poisoned?"

When Will didn't immediately respond, Nico asked slowly, "You don't think it was anyone in Camp, do you?"

"No,'' said Will firmly. "I don't think anyone in Camp could — or would — poison another camper. How would they do it? Everyone eats at the same time at the same tables everyday; it would be impossible to conspicuously slip poison in someone's food. Also, none of these people have the same godly parent. They all sit at different tables and none of their siblings are ill.'' Pausing for a moment, Will ran his hands through his hair. "I think whatever it is entered through their bloodstreams when they were cut. It's the only common injury.'' Will carefully lifted Kayla's arm to show Nico a long, shallow cut on the inside of her forearm. "They all have these wounds somewhere on their bodies.''

"Could a monster transmit poison or a disease by scratching them?''

"Like with AIDS!" Kayla contributed helpfully. "You can get that by getting scratched by a nail with AIDS blood on it!''

"Uh,'' said Nico. "Sure.''

Will considered this. "It could be possible. Anyways, it's more important we know how to fix them, than what hurt them in the first place.''

Nico frowned. "But if we don't know what hurt them, then how do we know how to fix them?"

"I'm working on that.'' Will sighed.

"I was serious about eating the rest of the food,'' said Kayla. "While you're brainstorming, come have breakfast.'' She yawned loudly. "In the meantime, I'm going to go get some rest.''

Once Kayla had gone, Will and Nico sat down and ate the rest of the food Nico had brought up from the pavilion. Will filled Nico in on all the details of the Travis, Katie, and Cecil predicament. There wasn't a lot of information. It was just as Nico had heard from everyone else. Will just got more medical about it all. Nico admired his dedication to his patients. He could tell Will was agitated by his body language. His shoulders were tense and his fingers were drumming against his thighs. When there was a crisis or an emergency in the infirmary Will was almost unsettlingly calm. But when there was a situation like this, when he couldn't help someone, couldn't _save_ someone, his ADHD got worse.

Nico understood Will's anxiety. He wished there was something he could do to help him. The only thing that would help Will heal the injured campers was information. They needed to investigate, they needed to know exactly what had happened. But, Nico remembered, they were all still unconscious, and Will didn't think they would wake up if they weren't treated soon. Nico bit his lip. There was only one option left. He stood up, brushing toast crumbs off his jeans.

"Where are you going?" Will asked.

"To the Big House.''

Will looked surprised. "The Big House?''

"Yep.''

"Okay, but why?"

Nico's dark eyes glinted. "I need to speak with Chiron. ''

* * *

"Absolutely not.''

"But Chiron!" Nico protested.

"There is absolutely no way I'm letting you go in there, not after what happened to Travis, Katie, and Cecil.'' Chiron's voice was firm.

"Exactly! We need to find out what happened. Will doesn't know what to do because he doesn't know what he's treating! It's their only chance,'' insisted Nico.

Chiron's tail flicked impatiently. "So you want to retrace their steps and locate the source of their injuries?''

"Yes."

Chiron shook his head. "Nico, I understand you want to help—""

"Please let me do this," Nico pleaded. "I need to."

This caught Chiron's attention. "And why is that?"

Nico tried a new tactic. "Because I have to do something! These last couple days have been, well . . . " He trailed off dramatically. "I just need to do something, anything, to get my mind off it all. I need to help someone. Make Jason proud, you know?'' Usually, Nico would rather die than suck-up to someone, especially someone of Chiron's high authority, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Chiron placed a hand on his shoulder. "I understand your intentions, my boy. I can assure you Jason would be very proud of your valiant efforts to save your friends. Most unfortunately however, I cannot let you do something so dangerous. It would be quite irresponsible of me. And I'm not sure anyone else could bare the loss of another camper."

"Which," Nico replied more gently, "is why I have to do this."

Chiron stroked his beard thoughtfully. _So close._

"I'll be careful," promised Nico. "No unnecessary risks. And I won't go alone. I'll bring two other campers with me. I'm sure there will be several volunteers. It'll be like, uh, a mini-quest!"

Nico knew he had won Chiron over as soon as he said it. Since January, shortly before Apollo arrived at Camp Half-Blood, it had been radio silence from the gods. Nothing. With Apollo, the god of prophecies, absent from Mount Olympus, there were no prophecies for the Camp Oracle Rachel Dare to channel. This meant no quests, which meant very unhappy and stir-crazy campers. Camp Half-Blood trained demigods to be heroes and go on quests. That was what they all lived for. Nico knew Chiron was sorry the campers hadn't been able to have their fun on dangerous, often deadly quests. Nico did have the decency to feel a little guilty for using this as leverage. _Desperate times, desperate measure,_ he consoled himself.

Although he had appeared haggard and weary recently, Chiron's eyes twinkled with some of their old mirth. "Very well. You may have your 'mini-quest'. Choose your companions wisely — it is true many would like to go with you, I'm sure, but don't leave it open for the discussion. Select who you see best fit. Bring plenty of ambrosia and be certain your weapons are in top condition. And try to be back before nightfall! I'll notify the harpies not to eat you if they see you and your friends coming in after curfew."

"Thank you, Chiron," Nico said genuinely. "I really do appreciate it."

Chiron dipped his head. "You'd better hurry and get ready so you have plenty of time while it's still light out."

Nico nodded. It was only mid-morning, but there was no time to lose. He wasn't even sure how deep in the forest Travis, Katie, and Cecil had gone. As Nico started to leave, Chiron called for him to wait. Nico turned back.

Chiron smiled. It was mostly encouraging, but also a little sad. As if Chiron was a mother bird whose last chick had spread its wings and flown away, never to be seen by her again. _I'll come back, I promise,_ Nico wanted to say, but held back. There was always that small chance as a half-blood that you wouldn't come back, even if you were only doing routine scouting or participating in Harley's Three-Legged Death Race. Better to not make promises if there's even the slightest chance you can't keep them. Percy and Nico had learned that together. The hard way. _So terribly hard._

"Goodbye, Nico,'' said Chiron. "Be safe."

* * *

Finding eager campers to join his little expedition was not hard. Nico took Chiron's advice and didn't ask for volunteers, but carefully chose two companions. Nico's first thought was Will, of course. But he knew Will couldn't leave the campers in the infirmary. Nico's second idea was Kayla. Kayla was perfect for this kind of thing. Nico decided to choose the third person before asking Kayla, because he knew she would agree to come and he wanted to let her sleep for as long as possible. Also, he should probably tell Will where he was going.

On his way to Cabin 7, Nico passed Malcolm Pace drawing up some sort of plans. Nico stopped. Children of Athena proved invaluable on quests because of their intelligence and strategic thinking skills. Most of them were pretty badass on the field too. Nico didn't talk to Malcolm much, but he seemed cool. What was it the Athena kids said — "Athena always has a plan"? Malcolm sure seemed to think so. He was always two steps ahead of everyone else. Nico respected him. He approached him.

Nico cleared his throat. "What're you drawing?"

Malcolm didn't look up. "Plans for redesigning Saint Peter's Basilica.''

"Oh.''

"It's in Rome.''

Athena kids were smart and they knew it. They could also be complete jackasses about it.

"I _know_ where Saint Peter's is, Malcolm. I grew up in Italy.''

"Ah. Right.'' Malcolm looked a little uncomfortable. He still didn't look up at Nico.

Nico had been born and spent the first ten years of his life in Italy. After the di Angelos immigrated to America to escape the Nazi occupation, Zeus had gotten his and Bianca's mother killed. Hades had taken them to The Lotus Hotel and Casino. There they had stayed for seventy years. Time passed extremely quickly at the Lotus so neither Nico nor Bianca had aged. It tended to make people uncomfortable when reminded Nico was really 83. Nico wasn't offended though. He himself found it strange, although he had adjusted to modern culture well.

"Isn't architecture Annabeth's thing?" Nico asked. Malcolm was the Cabin 6 counselor while Annabeth went to college in New Rome with Percy in the winter.

"Yeah, she's incredible. She redesigned Mount Olympus when she was sixteen, you know.''

Nico did.

"Anyway,'' continued Malcolm, carefully drawing a wide arch, "when I saw her at the memorial she was telling me all about this class she's taking. They have to draw up plans to redesign some famous architectural masterpiece as homework. I thought it sounded fun, so I decided to try it out. So far,'' Malcolm squinted at his work, "so good.''

"Well, that's . . . cool.'' Nico hadn't been asking for an explanation, he'd just been making conversation. _Never try making small-talk with a child of Athena._ "Listen, Malcolm, I just talked to Chiron about what happened yesterday with Travis, Katie, and Cecil. He gave me permission to leave Camp and try to find out what happened so Will can heal them. It's like a day—'' He almost said "trip'', but changed his mind last second. He finished, "—quest.''

Malcolm's head finally jerked up to look at Nico. "Did you say quest?"

"Yeah.'' Nico crossed his arms over his chest, trying to look casual. "Wanna come?"

Malcolm jumped up, plans forgotten. "Absolutely! When do we leave?"

"Can you be ready in twenty minutes?"

Malcolm grinned. "Make that fifteen.''

"Get your stuff," Nico told him. "And don't spread this around. I've already got our third guy and I don't want people begging me to let them come.''

"Copy that.'' Malcolm snatched up his plans and hurried off.

Nico allowed himself a deep breath. Having Malcolm along was definitely a relief. Now he just had to inform Kayla and hope to the gods Will didn't lose his shit over this whole thing.

* * *

All things considered, Will actually took it pretty well. He stared at Nico, opened-mouthed, as Nico explained what was happening. When he finished and Will was able to speak again, he managed to gasp, "You did _what?"_

"I just told you everything. Trust me, I left nothing out.''

"Oh my gods, Nico, what were you _thinking?_ Were you thinking? Oh my gods, Nico . . . ''

"I was thinking we'll have three dead campers by tomorrow morning if we don't figure out what did this to them,'' said Nico, a little coldly.

Will rubbed his temples. "Neeks . . ."

"Tell me I'm wrong, and I'll call it off.''

Will chewed his lip.

"Hey,'' Nico softened his tone. He took Will's hands in his own. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. We have the advantage of knowing something's out there; they,'' he glanced at the motionless campers in bed, "didn't. We'll be careful. I'll be careful, okay?"

"I know you will, but it's not up to you what's lurking out there.''

"Thanks for reminding me of my helplessness,'' muttered Nico.

"Sorry, babe, but it's true. Life can't always be in your control.'' Will sighed.

"You're right. Although I _can_ do something to help this time. If we know how the these kids got sick or poisoned or whatever, you can fix it, right?''

"I could probably find an antidote,'' admitted Will.

"Then you understand why I have to go. It's their only chance.''

Will pressed Nico's hands against his cheeks. "Okay,'' he whispered. "Please be careful, Neeks. I can't lose you.''

Even though Nico knew that's what Will had been thinking, a ripple of surprise went through him at hearing it spoken. "Will. I'm not going away to war. This isn't a suicide mission, it's just a simple one-day-long thing. I'll be back tonight.''

A ghost of a smile touched Will's lips. "I'm being dramatic, aren't I?''

"You're your father's son,'' Nico agreed.

Will and Nico laughed and hugged tightly. "See you soon,'' Nico whispered.

"I'll count on it,'' Will murmured back.

"Gods of Olympus, you two.'' Kayla was rubbing her eyes, her ginger hair tangled from sleep. "Does everything have to be so angsty all the time between you guys? I don't think you get the concept of teen dating.''

Nico blinked. "I'm pretty sure 'angsty' covers it pretty well.''

"I meant nothing's ever casual with you guys, but whatever.''

"Nico's going to find what hurt our patients,'' Will explained.

Kayla's eyes widened. She suddenly looked very much awake. "Seriously? Oh my gods, can I come?!"

Nico nodded. "I was going to invite you along.''

Kayla nearly shrieked with excitement. "This is _awesome!_ Okay, hang on, I'm going to go get my bow, be right back!"

"We'll leave in ten minutes,'' Nico called after her.

Will packed a backpack with ambrosia and water bottles. He handed it to Nico. "Good luck.''

Nico smiled. "Thanks, Will.''

Will kissed him slowly, then watched him leave.

Nico met Kayla and Malcolm outside Cabin 7. "Everyone ready?"

Kayla pumped a fist in the air. "Hell yeah!"

Malcolm nodded sagely.

"Alright.'' Nico spared a final glance at the Apollo cabin, which glimmered gold in the late morning sunlight. "Let's go.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please drop a comment and let me know how I'm doing :)


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't difficult to locate the exact spot Travis, Katie, and Cecil had reentered the Camp. There were several armed campers mulling around, looking bored. They were acting as self-appointed sentries, in case whatever had harmed the three hapless campers might've followed them back. They narrowed their eyes as they saw Nico and his friends approaching.

Ellis from the Ares cabin stopped them. "What do _you_ think you're doing?" He sneered.

"Chiron granted us permission to go scouting in the woods," said Nico coolly.

Ellis's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you kidding me?"

"He's not," Malcolm said, a little smugly. "Chiron said we could go.''

"Oh yeah? And why is that, di Angelo? Special treatment for the son of Hades? Ha! Chiron was probably too afraid you'd sic your creepy-ass skeletons on him if he said no."

Nico sighed. "No, Ellis. I asked."

"And he just said yes?" Ellis was incredulous.

"Yeah. Yeah, he did." Nico stood a little taller, to his full unimpressive height of 5'6. "Now get out of my way."

Ellis glanced back at his friend Laurel (girlfriend? Nico wasn't sure). Laurel shrugged her shoulders. "It's their funeral."

Ellis seemed to consider this. "Fine. You can go." He stepped aside and waved them forward pompously.

Nico rolled his eyes. Kayla flipped Ellis the bird. Malcolm ignored them all.

The forest was full of life. Here Nico could believe it was Spring. The leaves on the trees were turning green, and the ground was soggy with damp leaves and mud. It smelled like nature, which Nico didn't find all that appealing. However, he did have to admit the change of scenery was refreshing. Camp life had been dull recently.

The three half-bloods walked in silence. Travis, Katie, and Cecil had not left much of a trail to follow. There were some footprints smeared in the soft ground. A couple snapped twigs. Trampled leaves. Malcolm informed his companions it all indicated a struggle. Nico thought that much was obvious. The injured campers had clearly been running as if their lives depended on it. Which, Nico realized, they probably had.

As the sun reached its full height in the sky, the sunlight poured through the trees, obscuring it on the forest floor in beautiful patterns. Kayla seemed to have quickly gotten over the solemn nature of the expedition. She was humming a jaunty tune that Nico recognized as one of Austin's compositions. She kept running ahead of Nico and Malcolm to find a larger patch of sunlight. Kayla tipped her head back and inhaled the clean forest air. She twirled around in the light and laughed. She looked so joyful, so at peace, that Nico couldn't believe this was the same girl who had busted her knuckles on a punching bag a few days prior. Nico dismissed it as female mood swings, but something about it still nagged at the back of his mind. Why couldn't he just get over things like Kayla did? Why couldn't he just say "fuck it" and move on with life? Why was he still in so much _pain_?

Malcolm watched Kayla prance around with a disapproving look. He didn't say anything to her though. Not even a serious child of Athena was going to crush the brief bit of joy she'd found. Malcolm muttered to Nico, "Did you explain to Knowles that this isn't a nature walk?" To which Nico responded, "Shut up and let her have her moment.''

If he was being honest, Nico admired Apollo's children for the flexibility of their mental states. They felt deeply, reacted strongly, but not for long periods of time. They got over disappointments, heartbreak, and tragedy fairly quickly. Nico understood this after having met their father. Apollo, especially in Lester Papadopolous form, was an emotional wreck. Lester had more trouble recovering from his frequent breakdowns than his children did. Will, Kayla, and Austin also were more talented in the gifts they had inherited from their father, ironically. Lester got all the worst parts of the god Apollo. Nico would have felt sorry for him if he hadn't had so many other things to be miserable about. That was another thing.

Nico's life was fine. It had significantly improved since the end of the Giant War. He was happy. Or had been, before certain events had occurred. He had not had an easy life; demigods seldom did. But he was _fine._ He knew he it. The things was, when something bad happened Nico couldn't shake it off. He wished he was like the Apollo kids. But he was the son of Hades, his fatal flaw was holding grudges. He wasn't currently begrudging anyone, because there wasn't anyone to blame for Jason's death. There wasn't anyone to blame yet for the state of Travis, Katie, and Cecil. Nico didn't want anyone to blame. He didn't _want_ to hold a grudge. But he knew if there was someone to blame he would begrudge them anyway. Nico di Angelo didn't _get over_ things.

"Hey Nico!" Kayla called. She was grinning. "Stop looking so brooding! Lighten up!" Kayla spun around experimentally and slipped and fell on her butt. "Ow.'' She giggled. Nico would have asked if she was alright, but there seemed no need. Kayla sprang back to her feet. She took a moment to dust off and peel wet leaves from the seat of her jeans, before brushing her hands off and skipping ahead again. Nico dimly wondered if she was on something. He dismissed the thought; Will didn't keep a whole lot of mortal medicine lying around Cabin 7, let alone drugs. Kayla must have been on some kind of serotonin rush.

Nico had to admit her joyous mood was contagious. He himself began to relax and feel better by seeing Kayla so happy. Malcolm also seemed to have loosened up a little. He was at least smiling now. The whole atmosphere wasn't actually unpleasant. The forest _was_ beautiful, Nico relented. They were on their way to hopefully find a way to save their friends. It could be worse.

It reminded Nico of something that had occurred near the end of last summer. He shifted his backpack from shoulder to shoulder. Malcolm and Kayla were occupied by chucking fistfuls of soft leaves at each other. Following the trail, it would probably be another couple hours before they found the source of their friends' injuries. Content all was well for the moment, Nico allowed himself to be consumed by his memories.

* * *

_It was three days until the end of summer._

_Three days before Percy and Annabeth left for college. They had both been accepted to college in_ _New Rome,_ _the only truly safe place for adult half-bloods, and were the first Greek demigods to go. Camp Half-Blood was buzzing with excitement for them. On the last day of summer, in three days, Camp was having a celebratory feast. It wasn't just for Percy and Annabeth. It was also to commemorate those who had lost their lives during the War. And to congratulate those who had survived. And because the Hephaestus kids had been needing to get rid of their unused fireworks._

_Nico was doing what he usually did when there were a lot of people running around, all happy and excited: hiding alone in his cabin. Well, maybe not_ hiding _exactly. "Staying out of the way" might have fit the situation more accurately._

_No. No, he was definitely hiding._

_Nico was laying on the floor of Cabin 13 reading a book in Italian he had found in the Big House. He never spoke his first language anymore — since Bianca had died he hadn't had anyone to speak it with. When he was staying at Hades' palace in the Underworld, Nico sometimes spoke it to himself, in a low voice, to comfort himself. Then he had gone to Camp Jupiter with Hazel and gone months without speaking a word of Italian. He spoke it to himself again when the giants had held him prisoner in a bronze jar. He mouthed the words to the song his mother and Bianca had sung to him while he felt his breath being stolen away and his heartbeat slowing to a stagger. Next he'd gone to Venice with the crew of the Argo II and been their translator. He had actually spoken Italian with people there, to ask for directions and things. Back to Camp, where once again he had no need to speak Italian. It was fine though. The language now served as a form of comfort to Nico. Reading it or hearing it or speaking it on occasion grounded him._

_Cabin 13's door swung open, hitting the wall with a_ bang. _Startled, Nico scrambled to his feet and stumbled backward with the grace of a baby giraffe. Percy Jackson strode in as if it was his own cabin. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans and an easy smile was on his face. Jason Grace hurried in behind him. Jason looked a little more_ ** _hassled_** _: his blond hair was mussed and his wireframes were slipping down his nose._

_"Hey Nico,'' said Percy in a casual voice, like he hadn't just invaded Nico's home._

_Jason pushed his glasses up with his pointer finger. "Come on, Jackson. I told you to knock.''_

_Percy shrugged innocently. "Oops, I guess I didn't hear you.''_

_"Sure, you didn't,'' Jason muttered._

_Nico stared at them. He was unsure whether he was angry or just surprised at the intrusion. He definitely didn't appreciate it. Percy and Jason weren't paying attention to him anyway. They were still bickering over whether or not Percy heard Jason tell him to knock._

_"Excuse me,'' said Nico loudly, "but what the fuck are doing in my cabin?''_

_Percy blinked. "You just said a potty word.''_

_"He does that sometimes,'' said Jason affectionately._

_"So grown up.'' Percy smiled._

_Nico_ _glowered._

_"Jackson and I are going to go do some training,'' said Jason. "We were hoping you would join us.''_

_Percy nodded fervently. "Yeah. Bro time for the kids of the Big Three, you know?"_

_Nico raised his eyebrows skeptically. "How 'bout no.''_

_"Come on, man!" Percy opened his arms wide like he wanted a hug from Nico, which he wasn't getting._

_"You can bring Will along if you'd like,'' suggested Jason._

_Nico felt his face flush._

_Percy smirked. "Well, well, well. Look who has a type.''_

_"Oh, shut up,'' Nico muttered. He had been spending an increasing amount of time with Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Jason was thrilled. Percy, along with every other member of the Argo II's crew plus Reyna, acted like there was nothing more interesting than Nico di Angelo's blossoming love-life. It was really quite annoying. Nico was a very private person. He himself wasn't exactly comfortable with his sexuality yet and he would prefer no one talking about it. But there was a certain amount of relief that they all supported him so much; Nico had spent so long worrying he wouldn't be accepted. When it wasn't insufferably annoying, it was all rather touching, really._

_"Just us then? Splendid.'' Percy grabbed Nico by the bicep and began dragging him towards the door. "You need to get used to the sunlight if you're going to be hanging around the Apollo Cabin.''_

_"Do you have sunscreen?'' Jason actually sounded like he was asking a serious question._

_"No,'' snapped Nico._

_Percy shook his head. "Nico, buddy, now that you're getting older, it's important you know the necessity of protection—''_

_Nico jerked away from Percy, face flaming. "Jackson, I swear to the gods—''_

_"Okay, you two,'' Jason stepped in between them. "That's enough of that. Nico, be patient. He's family. Percy,_ please. _''_

_Percy smirked, obviously proud of himself._

_Nico muttered "asshole" under his breath._

_"Hey!"_

_Jason grabbed them each by a shoulder and began steering them out the door. The sun was shining brilliantly. Nico winced a little as its warmth glazed over his pale skin. Sunscreen wouldn't have been a bad idea._

_The arena was crowded, but Jason and Percy had no problem securing a spot for the three of them to spar. Nico would sometimes train with Percy here, who was amazing with a blade. He hadn't actually ever trained with Jason. He and Jason had gotten into an actual s_ _word fight in Dalmatia earlier_ _that summer, but that was in the past. Nico assumed Percy and Jason trained together often. They had a similar skill-level, although Percy might have been slightly more skilled. The three of them had never trained together though._

_Percy and Jason briefly practiced some moves, but they kept getting distracted and laughing._ Are they always like this? _Nico didn't think so. He hung back, arms folded across his chest. Jason beckoned him to join them. Nico reluctantly did so._

_"How does this work with three people?" Nico asked as he drew his sword._

_"Like this.'' Percy swung his sword at Nico._

_Nico raised his blade and casually deflected the blow._

_Percy grinned._

_Jason smiled too. "Oh yeah. This is going to be fun.''_

_And it was. The three boys spent hours in the arena. It was about half serious training and half stupid shit. They remained there until the conch horn sounded for dinner. Sweaty and exhausted, but so goddamn happy, Nico headed back with Jason and Percy. Jason walked in the middle again, this time with an arm slung around each their shoulders. They talked and they laughed and they joked among themselves and Nico knew he could always_ (always) _count on these two older boys to be there for him and not leave him and he could be there for them and he wouldn't leave them and dammit, why was he so happy? As they separated to go to their own assigned tables for dinner, Percy said, "This was really cool" and Nico agreed._

_"We'll have to do it more often next summer,'' Jason added._

_Nico agreed with this too, as did Percy. Next summer. Of course they would. They would see each other every day next summer. Why wouldn't they? They would always be there for each other. It became a silent agreement among them that afternoon. And Jason had promised already Nico, hadn't he? Yes. Yes, he had._

* * *

"Nico!"

Nico snapped back to reality. He shook his head to dispel the memory. Malcolm and Kayla were both staring at him.

"Did you hear me?" Malcolm asked.

"Uh, sorry.'' Nico swallowed back the rising emotion in his throat. How had that happened less than a year ago? It felt like a lifetime ago. No, it didn't even feel _real._ It felt like a dream. "What did you say?''

"I think we found our spot.''

They had come to a stop. Nico didn't remember halting, but they were all standing still. He wondered how long had passed while he'd been lost in memory.

Malcolm went forward and crouched down beside a dark stain on the forest floor. Nico caught up to him. The stain wasn't black, like Nico had first thought it was. It was a deep red that shone ebony in the midday sunlight.

"Blood.'' Malcolm looked up at Nico when he said it.

Nico nodded. "Blood,'' he confirmed.

Kayla made a noise. Nico glanced back at her. She hadn't moved since they'd first stopped. Her teeth were set on her bottom lip. "Oh my gods. Is that Travis's?"

"Or Katie's,'' Malcolm squinted, as if that would help him determine whose blood it was. "Or possibly Cecil's.''

"It doesn't matter whose blood it is,'' said Nico. "That won't help us figure out what happened or how to help them.'' He straightened up and looked around. "Malcolm, is there anything else here that might indicate a struggle?"

"It's like with the trail we followed here,'' Malcolm replied. "A couple broken twigs, but not much else.''

"Except for the blood,'' muttered Kayla.

Malcolm strode ahead. "I'll be right back.''

_He probably shouldn't go alone._ Nico was about to follow him, when Kayla called for him to stop. He turned back and looked at her quizzically. All signs of her previous good mood had vanished like it had never been there in the first place. "Are you okay?" Nico asked her.

Kayla's eyes darted away from him. "Yeah, Nico, I'm okay. I just . . . something doesn't feel, well, _right_ about this place. I think we should keep going.''

"Well, we did just find a pool of our friend's blood. Something's definitely not right. But I think this is our spot. We should stay a few minutes longer at least.''

"Nico—"

Malcolm came jogging back.

"That didn't take long,'' said Nico.

Malcolm shook his head. "I just went ahead a little ways. The trail stops here. This is where we're looking for.''

"Okay, great. Thanks Malcolm.'' Nico tried to smile reassuringly at Kayla. "We'll stick around here for awhile, try to find some answers.''

"We should spread out,'' Malcolm suggested.

Nico considered this. "Alright,'' he said slowly. "But stay close.''

They separated, each going off in a different direction. Nico scanned the perimeter. Nothing stood out as incriminating. If he wasn't looking, Nico didn't think he would notice anything amiss at all. Except maybe smears of blood on the ground. Nico narrowed his eyes. He crouched down. His hand hovered over the blood, but he didn't touch it. There were several smears, long and red, although not as dark as the blood they had previously found. This was different, somehow. Nico tried to see how. He came up empty. _What_ is _it?_

_What . . ._ Nico's eyes flew wide. He shot up and whirled around. Malcolm and Kayla were gone.

Fighting back panic, Nico hissed, "Kayla! Malcolm!"

Nothing.

Nico swallowed hard. _"Kayla!"_

Still nothing.

A little louder now. "Malcolm! Kayla! Guys, where'd you go?"

This time, when there was no answer, Nico did a rare thing — he prayed to Hades. It was a quick prayer: _Hey, Dad, it's Nico. Uh, listen, please don't let Malcolm and Kayla die. They're good people. They deserve to live. Thanks._ Even though Nico knew Hades didn't choose who lived and who died, it was the only thing Nico could think of to say.

"Malcolm, Kayla!" As loud as he dared.

"Nico?" Kayla called back. "Is everything okay?" She emerged from a thick cluster of bushes.

Nico allowed himself a single moment of relief. He hurried over to her.

"Kayla.'' He grabbed her by the shoulders.

Kayla looked startled. "Nico? You okay? What's going on?''

"Be _quiet,''_ hissed Nico.

Kayla's eyebrows knit together. She looked worried, but having the sense to listen, didn't speak.

"Nico.'' A low voice behind him spoke.

Nico let go of Kayla and turned to face Malcolm.

"What's going on?" asked Malcolm. He knew something was up and spoke in an accordingly low voice. "Did you find something?''

Nico nodded.

Kayla's eyes widened. "What?" She whispered.

Gesturing for them to follow, Nico led them to the spot where he'd found the smears of blood. Malcolm examined them. An incredulous look passed over his face, almost like a smile. "My gods, di Angelo. Good work.''

"What? Someone please explain to me what the hell's going on,'' snapped Kayla impatiently.

Malcolm pointed to the blood. "Kayla, what do you notice? What's _different?"_

"Um. I don't know.''

"Oh, come on, you didn't even try.''

"This is ridiculous,'' Kayla huffed. "I hate you both for making me feel like an idiot.''

"This blood is _dry,_ Kayla!'' Malcolm exclaimed. Nico wished he would keep his voice down.

Kayla blinked. "So what?"

Malcolm laughed in disbelief and smacked his forehead. "Gods, I've been such an idiot! Of course the pool of blood we found couldn't be one of the injured camper's! It's _still wet._ They got hurt yesterday afternoon; it's been twenty-four hours at least. It would have dried by now for sure. That wasn't their blood, but this is!" He looked remarkably pleased, as if he himself had been the first to come to this conclusion, not Nico.

"Oooh,'' said Kayla. She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "So if the dried blood is Travis/Katie/Cecil blood, then the other blood . . . ?"

"Is fresh,'' Malcolm finished for her. "Exactly.''

"Which means it's probably a monster,'' Nico snapped. "A hungry monster, who's on its way back to this very spot as we speak. Which is why we have to be _quiet,_ Malcolm!"

Malcolm looked a little sheepish. "Right, sorry,'' he stage-whispered.

Nico rolled his eyes.

"Where do you think the fresh blood came from?" Kayla asked.

"Some hapless local, probably.''

Nico and Kayla stared at Malcolm.

"Local critter!" Malcolm said quickly. "The monster probably got a raccoon or possum or something.''

Kayla started to say something, but was cut off with a shriek. Something had come up from behind and barreled into her with the force of a pickup truck. Before Nico or Malcolm could react, Kayla was shoved roughly onto ground, landing hard on her back. There it was, standing over her, saliva dripping from its chin onto Kayla's face — a monster.

Nico had never seen this kind of monster before, not even in pictures. It was about the size of a wolf, and had the similar pointed snout and ears of one. It stood on two legs and had long talons like a bird of prey's on each of it's four-toed limbs. It towered over Kayla, emitting a low, menacing growl. Kayla was struggling to sit up, the breath clearly knocked out of her by the force of the monster crashing into her. She reached for her bow, and the monster lunged forward.

Nico had his sword drawn before he even knew what he was doing. He sprinted forward. Just as the monster descended on Kayla, Nico threw himself in front of it. He stood in front of Kayla with his Stygian Iron blade extended. His heart was pounding wildly against his breastbone. The monster's obsidian eyes narrowed into slits. If its eyes had whites or irises, Nico couldn't see them. All Nico could see was black pools of rage boring into him.

"Kayla, run.'' Nico was surprised at how steady his own voice sounded. He heard Kayla gasping behind him. Malcolm ran to her side. She staggered to her feet with his help. Nico heard them draw their weapons. The monster kept its eyes locked on Nico.

"Why is it just standing there?" Malcolm muttered.

"Why are _we_ just standing here?" Kayla gasped.

They both had a point. The monster was hideous. It loomed before them, sharp teeth bared, but didn't attack. And yet, none of the half-bloods made any attempt to kill it. It was waiting for something, Nico realized. But what?

The Stygian Iron was getting heavy in Nico's hand. He lowered his sword, only a few inches, but it was enough. It was what the monster had been waiting for: Nico to let down his guard.

Nico didn't have time to blink before he was lying flat on his back on the ground. The monster was standing on his chest. The pressure was immense. The monster was even heavier than it looked. Nico couldn't draw a breath. His sword had been knocked from his hand on impact. He silently curse himself for his stupidity. He should have killed the beast when he had the chance.

Before he could dwell on the fact that he was about to die, the monster jerked off of him, with a yowl of pain. Nico rolled onto his hands and knees, gasping. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the monster snapping its jaws at an arrow protruding from its shoulder. _Thanks, Kayla._ Malcolm, sword in hand, dropped down beside Nico. "Are you hurt?" He yelled over the monster's angry shrieks.

"I'm fine.'' Nico accepted Malcolm's hand hauling him to his feet.

Kayla was firing arrows at the monster as fast as she could, but it was faster. It managed to dodge most of the arrows, although she still caught it twice in one leg. Unfortunately, it then dropped to all-fours and charged her. Malcolm and Nico both dashed forward. Kayla swung her bow at the monster, catching it in the jaw, but it didn't deter the monster at all, just pissed it off even more.

Nico, though smaller, was faster than Malcolm and beat him to the monster. He swung his sword at its head. It ducked at the last minute and Nico stumbled, off-balance. The monster pushed itself back up on two legs and caught Nico in its talons. Nico bit back a cry of pain as the talons tore through the skin on his arms and ribs. His ears were ringing, but he could hear Malcolm and Kayla screaming in the background. Nico tried to jerk out of its grasp. He only succeeded in the monster's talons cutting deeper into his body. Kayla shot another arrow, this one stuck into the monster's throat. It choked on a shriek and let go of Nico, it's taloned fingers groping at its neck. Nico fell to the ground. His injured body screaming in protest, he leapt to his feet and drove his sword through the monster's chest. With one final horrid noise, it evaporated.

Panting, Nico slid his sword back in its sheath **.** His heart was still pounding. His arms and ribs burned like fire. He turned to his friends. "Everyone okay?" His voice was hoarse.

Malcolm and Kayla nodded mutely. They both looked terrified, which Nico couldn't blame them for.

"I think we found our monster,'' said Nico, with a shaky laugh.

Kayla laughed weakly and Malcolm shook his head. Kayla pressed the palms of her hands against her forehead. "Oh-ho, _shit.''_

"That sucked,'' agreed Malcolm. "Did you see that thing's talons? That has to be what made the cuts on Travis, Katie, and Cecil.''

_And me,_ Nico ruefully admitted to himself. "We should probably head back to Camp now.''

"But we only figured out what hurt them,'' Kayla pointed out. "And we're not even sure what kind of monster that was. We still don't know how to help our friends get better.''

"There's nothing else we can do. Hopefully Chiron will know monster it was and we can go from there,'' said Nico.

"Most likely, the talons are poisoned,'' Malcolm said helpfully.

Nico sighed. "Awesome, now let's go.'' He grabbed the backpack from the ground where it had fallen when the monster had tackled him. He winced in pain from the movement of his arms as he adjusted the backpack.

"Nico,'' Kayla said suddenly. "You're bleeding.''

Nico looked down at his arms, which he had been making a conscious effort not to do. The sleeves of Will's hoodie was torn and stained red. In the gaps of the fabric, Nico could see cuts etched into his skin. They looked similar to the ones the other injured campers had, except Nico's were deeper. "Yeah. I am. We should probably head back to Camp before I collapse and start convulsing at your feet.''

"Oh my gods. What should we — ? Oh my gods.''

"Don't panic,'' Malcolm told Kayla. He looked intently at Nico. "It's okay, man. We'll get you back as fast as we can.''

"I'm not the one freaking out,'' Nico pointed out.

"I'm not freaking out!" Kayla squeaked.

Nico bit back a sharp retort. He was already in more pain than he would've liked to admit and he could feel the poison spreading through his veins like ice. He didn't like the idea of being dragged back into Camp by Malcolm and Kayla in a catatonic state.

Malcolm and Kayla were bickering again.

_"Hey,''_ Nico cut forcefully in.

Malcolm and Kayla stopped and looked guiltily up.

Nico shouldered his backpack, gritting his teeth against the waves of pain that the movement brought on. "Let's go.''


	5. Chapter 5

When his breathing became difficult, Nico knew he was fucked. They'd only been trudging back to Camp Half-Blood for an hour or so, and he didn't know how he was going to make it the rest of the way. His legs were shaking, he was sweating, and his heart was fluttering sporadically in his chest. The pain in Nico's arms and ribs was intensifying by the minute, making it hard to think. The blood collecting under the ruined hoodie was slick. Nico could smell it. It made him want to vomit. To top it all off, his chest felt like the monster was standing on it again. It was becoming increasingly difficult to draw air into his lungs.

"Do you need to stop?" Kayla asked him, her brow furrowed in concern.

"No.'' _Yes._

Kayla and Malcolm exchanged a worried glance.

"You sure?''

"Yes.'' _No._

They walked on. Nico's head began to spin, waves of dizziness washing periodically over him. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment, hoping his head would clear upon opening them. Unfortunately, this did not work, and, distracted, Nico stumbled over a root sticking up from the ground. He fell to his hands and knees. Pain shot through his arms as they jarred against the ground. He made an undignified noise of pain. Malcolm and Kayla both rushed to help him, but he waved them away. He stood up on shaky legs and promptly fell on his butt. He tried getting up again. Kayla pushed him back down.

"Really, Nico,'' Kayla scolded. She grabbed his backpack and unzipped it. She pulled out the ambrosia and water bottles Will had packed. Then she tossed the backpack to Malcolm. "Pace is carrying this now.''

Nico didn't argue. Although he did begin to protest when Kayla demanded he take off Will's hoodie. "I need examine your wounds!" She insisted.

Sulkily, Nico tugged the blood-soaked hoodie off. He allowed Kayla too assess the damage to his arms as he nibbled on an ambrosia square. Kayla frowned. "You've lost a lot of blood. I couldn't tell how bad it was when you had Will's stupid hoodie on. Speaking of Will, why didn't he pack bandages?" She complained.

"I have ambrosia, I'm fine,'' said Nico. The pain was subsiding thanks to the healing powers of the gods' food. His cuts were beginning to knit together, emitting less blood than before. The healing process was slowed by the poison though. Still, Nico felt a little steadier. "I think I can go on now.''

Kayla snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, right. You could be bleeding out in a ditch somewhere and you insist you were fine.''

"Will's a bad influence on you,'' Nico muttered.

"We should probably get moving,'' said Malcolm apologetically. "It's getting late.''

Nico saw the sun beginning to sink behind the trees. "Malcolm's right,'' he told Kayla. "I feel better, honestly.'' He did. He could make it back to Camp now. Hopefully.

Kayla nodded. "Ok, but if you start convulsing and die, I'm telling Will it's not my fault.''

"Fair enough,'' Nico agreed. "If I die, I won't haunt you in the afterlife.''

Malcolm coughed in a way that sounded suspiciously like concealed laughter. Kayla glared at them both.

Nico accepted Macolm's hand helping him to his feet. He was still dizzy, although not as badly as before. The pain had subsided to a dull throb. Nico wasn't comfortable, but it was bearable. With the help of Kayla and Malcolm he was able to pull Will's hoodie back on, damp with blood though it was. They walked on.

* * *

They made it back to Camp just as dusk set in. Nico didn't think he'd ever been so glad to come home before. To his surprise, Ellis and Laurel will still holding sentry duty at the edge of the forest they had entered from.

"Oh my gods,'' said Ellis, sounding disinterested. "You're not all dead.''

"Well spotted,'' Kayla said under her breath.

"You look like shit, di Angelo," said Laurel, with a smirk.

"I feel like it too," Nico groaned.

"What happened?" Ellis had a gleam in his eye that meant he wanted all the gory details.

"We found our monster!" Malcolm proudly announced.

Ellis's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"That's what tore you up, di Angelo?" said Laurel.

"Yep." Kayla crossed her arms over her chest.

Laurel actually looked a little nervous. "Should we, like, get you to the infirmary?"

"That's an idea,'' said Kayla with a dry laugh. Apparently she and Laurel weren't good friends.

"Um, you're free to pass,'' said Ellis, stepping out of the way, eyeing Nico nervously, as if he might spontaneously combust.

Malcolm thanked him sarcastically for letting them pass, to which Ellis responded asking if they needed an escort to Cabin 7. No one said anything to that.

As Cabin 7 came into view, Nico was tempted to cry from relief. He didn't think he'd ever been so relieved to see a building in his life. And the person inside the building. He also wasn't sure how much longer he would have made it. The effects of the ambrosia were wearing off. He was shaky, sore, and dizzy. He felt blood running down his side from the wounds on his ribs. He shivered. He was suddenly freezing cold. He wasn't sure if it was because of the poison coursing through his veins or the temperature dropping due to the setting sun. He tried to rub his arms to warm himself, but his limbs were stiff and pain shot through them at his own touch.

Kayla noticed his discomfort. "Almost there,'' she whispered, with an encouraging/sympathetic smile. Nico tried to smile back. He decided Kayla was his favorite of Will's siblings. He liked Austin, and the others were alright, but Kayla never failed him. She was a genuinely kind person. And she did something vert few people did — she tried to be his friend. Most people at Camp respected Nico and were friendly with him, but a surprisingly small number actually tried to establish friendship with him. Nico was fine with this. He didn't need a bunch of people flocking around him all the time. He was happy with a few good friends. He counted Percy, Hazel, ~~Jason,~~ Reyna, and Kayla as his close friends. His other "friends" were Frank, Annabeth, Thalia, Austin, and Malcolm. He considered Piper, Leo, Connor, Katie, and most of the other campers "acquaintances.''

And then there was Will. Will was an excellent multitasker; he managed to simultaneously be Nico's boyfriend and best friend. This might have been a normal thing for relationships, but not when one of the participants was Nico di Angelo. Nico was fully aware of just how difficult it was to be part of his life. He loved everyone who put up with him for doing so without complaint. Not that he would ever admit this. _Whoa._ Nico suddenly realized his mind was running into sentiment. _I must be delirious._

Like his body agreed, and thought it was absolutely hilarious timing, Nico's legs buckled. He promptly collapsed to the ground.

"Nico!" He heard Kayla shriek. She was instantaneously crouched at his side. "Nico, are you okay? Can you get up? Should we go get Will?" Her voice sounded far away.

Nico blinked hard, trying to stay in touch with reality. Strangely enough, the fall did not send lances of pain through Nico's body, like he would have expected it to. Actually, now that he thought about it, he wasn't in very much pain anymore. It seemed to be fading away. That was a bad sign, Nico knew. He struggled for control. His conscious was fading away, the pain going with it. _Stay awake,_ he demanded himself.

"Nico?" Kayla's face loomed before him, her eyebrows drawn together in concern. "Can you hear me, Nico?'' When Nico didn't immediately respond, she turned to Malcolm and said, "Go get Will!" Her voice was laced with panic.

"No,'' Nico gasped, pushing himself up. "Don't go get Will. I-I'm fine.''

Kayla looked skeptical. Malcolm didn't run off, but he looked like he wanted to. Part of Nico wanted him to too. But he couldn't do that to Will. After everything that Will had done for him, Nico wasn't about to send him into a panic over a little poison. He'd promised Will he would be okay (and he'd tried!). He was going to walk into Cabin 7 on his own two feet if it killed him.

A gaggle of campers had gathered nearby. Nico shot a glare their way, and they dispersed. Pretty soon the entire Camp Half-Blood would know they had returned and Nico was injured. With Malcolm's help, Nico staggered to his feet. His legs weren't working properly, so Nico reluctantly accepted Malcolm's shoulder to lean on.

They entered Cabin 7 through the back door that connected directly to the infirmary. Will was sitting on Katie's bed. He had his long legs pulled up beside him. An expression of deep worry was etched on his face. Some of that worry melted away when he saw the three companions returned. He jumped up. "Thank the gods! I was beginning to worry—" His face fell as he got a good look at Nico. Some of the color drained away. "Nico.''

"Hey, Will.'' Nico tried to sound upbeat. "What's up?"

Will hurried forward. "Nico, what the hell happened?"

"We found the monster,'' Nice offered lamely.

"No shit,'' Will muttered. He took Nico's face tenderly in his hands. He traced his thumbs over Nico's cheekbones, which Nico didn't think was necessarily part of the examination, but he allowed it without complaint. Will frowned. "Your pupils are dilated.''

"You sure about that?" Nico asked. "My irises are basically the same color—"

Will ignored his efforts to make light of the situation. He brushed the back of one hand against Nico's forehead and his frown deepened. "You have a fever. Here,'' Will lead Nico to the nearest empty bed. He didn't say anything, but Nico could tell Will had noticed the way Nico had been leaning against Malcolm for support. Will noticed everything. He put an arm around Nico's waist, holding him securely. After Will helped Nico sit down on the bed, Nico asked, "Aren't you wondering what we found to help Travis, Katie, and Cecil?"

"One patient at a time,'' said Will.

"But it's important—"

"So are you,'' Will insisted.

Nico sighed. "Go tell Chiron what happened,'' he told Malcolm and Kayla. Malcolm saluted ( _Athena kids are weird,_ Nico decided) and headed off. Kayla paused, "Do you need any help, Will?''

Will shook his head. "No thanks, Kayla. Go with Malcolm, then please get some rest.''

Kayla nodded. Nico caught her eye. _Thank you for everything._ Kayla smiled, then she was gone.

Will retrieved some unicorn draught from a cabinet. Nico took a long swig out of the bottle, as he was the only person in Camp who used it. He and Reyna had discovered unicorn draught was more affective on him than nectar. Will carefully wiggled his hoodie off Nico.

"Sorry I ruined it,'' said Nico, a little sheepish.

"Blood washes out dreadfully,'' Will agreed. "It's my fault, though. I can't believe I didn't pack you bandages . . ." He carefully studied cuts on Nico's arms. "Just like theirs,'' he murmured. Nico didn't have to ask who Will was talking about.

"Luckily you packed ambrosia,'' he said. "Or I would be a lot worse.''

Will nodded. "The poison would be a lot more advanced if you hadn't treated it so early. Although your cuts are deeper than theirs. You'll need stitches.''

Nico had had stitches once before, while traveling with Reyna and the Athena Parthenos. Having a sharp needle travel in and out of his flesh wasn't a favorite sensation of his. But the unicorn draught's effects had taken hold, making him more alert and dulling the majority of the pain. He watched with some interest as Will's skillful hand threaded the tiny eye of the needle and began closing the wounds in his arms where they still bled. Will's fingers moved with nimble precision that fascinated Nico. And he'd be lying if he said it didn't turn him on. After he'd snipped the last thread, Will set the scissors and needle down. He murmured Nico's name and gently prodded at the copper stains on his orange Camp t-shirt. Nico winced.

Wordlessly, Will began to inch Nico's shirt off. Nico shivered as his bare torso was exposed, although Cabin 7 was usually warm. Will examined the wounds on Nico's ribs. Nico himself could obviously not see the cuts the monster had made there, but he could tell from just the lesser amount of pain that they weren't nearly as severe as the ones on his arms.

"You're lucky,'' said Will. "That monster could have done some serious permanent damage.''

Nico knew that "serious permanent damage" was Will's code for "imminent death.''

"Lie down,'' Will said gently. He helped Nico twist around so that he was lying on his back. He put a few stitches in the worst of the sliced skin, but he told Nico most of it would heal on its own with little scarring. Not that Nico cared about scarring, but Will had a naturally soothing bedside manner that he used on every one of his patients, no matter how much or little they cared.

Nico hadn't realized until he was lying in bed how exhausted he was. He had gotten very little sleep the night before and had had an incredibly long day. Will gave him another sip of unicorn draught and pulled the bedsheets up around him, tucking him in. Nico continued to shiver feverishly, so Will retrieved a heavier blanket from the Cabin 7 linen closet. Warm and snug at last, with Will keeping vigilbeside him, Nico fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

When Nico awakened, the sun was streaming brilliantly through the Cabin 7 windows. He was achy and drenched in sweat, but felt refreshed and much, much better than he had the evening before. He sat groggily up, rubbing his eyes.

"Good afternoon, Nico.''

Nico was shocked to see Chiron sitting beside his bed. Chiron was in his magical wheelchair, where the Mist disguised the centaur's hindquarters so he looked like a mortal man in a wheelchair. Nico had seen very little of Chiron since Jason's memorial. Camp Half-Blood's trainer looked tired, his beard scraggly and untrimmed, but his eyes were warm and peaceful. Nico was surprised at how glad he was to see the old centaur. Still, why was Chiron, of all people, there?

"Hi, Chiron.'' Nico greeted him, a bit warily. The heavy blanket had been removed from his bed and the damp sheets had fallen away when he'd sat up. Nico was suddenly aware he had no shirt on and his bare chest was exposed. Embarrassed, he shimmied back under the sheets. He doubted Chiron had noticed, but still wanting to divert the attention from himself, he asked, "What time is it?"

Chiron sat back. "It's midday. Maybe two in the afternoon?"

Nico's eyes widened. "Really?"

Chiron nodded. "You slept for nearly seventeen hours, my boy.''

 _Seventeen hours . . ._ No wonder Nico felt so good. He thought of the other injured campers. He glanced toward their beds and his heart flip-flopped. "Where—?" He began, panicked.

"Nico, please, try to relax.'' Chiron held up a hand. "Katie, and Cecil left the infirmary this morning. Travis left an hour or so ago.''

"But they're alright?" Nico asked anxiously.

"Quite so, quite so. Last night, after you fell asleep, Will, Malcolm, and I worked on an antidote to the poison. It was actually fairly easy, once we knew what monster we were facing.''

"So you knew what the monster was?"

Chiron's face was grave. "Yes. It was an old demon, one I haven't seen since it was last banished to Tartarus over a century ago. Once I was able to identify it, the rest was smooth sailing. We completed the antidote around midnight and Will immediately administered it to the injured campers, you included. I'm most relieved to say you all responded well to it. Katie and Cecil were better by morning. Travis's wounds were more severe, so he took a little longer to heal. Will was worried when you didn't wake up, but I was able to convince him you were just catching up on sleep.'' Chiron's expression changed to a knowing smile.

"Where is Will now?" Nico was only vaguely interested by the knowledge that the monster was actually a demon.

"I sent him to get some rest after Travis left,'' said Chiron. "He's only gotten a couple hours of sleep since the initial attack. Would you like me to get him for you?"

Nico shook his head. "No, let him sleep. He's earned it.''

"That he has,'' Chiron agreed. "I also wanted to thank you, Nico, for leading the 'mini-quest' and saving your friends.''

"Oh.'' Nico shifted uncomfortably. "It was nothing.''

"That is not true. You could have been killed.''

Nico shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But I wanted to do it. Like I told you, I _needed_ to do it.''

"Either way, I thank you, Nico.'' He smiled sadly. "For awhile there, I thought I was going to lose another three campers.''

Nico wasn't sure what to say to that. Fortunately, Chiron decided Nico no longer needed a babysitter and, with an encouraging pat on the shoulder, he wheeled out of Cabin 7. Alone now, Nico slumped against pillow. He wondered if Will would kill him if he left the infirmary without a proper discharge. He really did feel much better. His arms and ribs were sore, and the rest of his body ached, but his head was clear and his fever had broken. He was in dire need of a shower and a change of clothes, however. And Will desperately needed to sleep.

Nico got out of bed and almost fell as waves of dizziness passed over him like a tsunami. Okay, maybe he was not back to 100% yet. He decided to go back to his cabin, shower, and sleep for the rest of the day.

He was still in his jeans from the day before. He ambledtowards the counter, where Will's hoodie was spread out to dry. Nico could see that it had been let to soak overnight. Most of the blood had washed out, leaving only a few faint stains. Nico didn't mind. It was _his_ blood, after all. Thankfully, it was also now completely dry. Nico's t-shirt was nowhere to be seen and he didn't fancy the idea of making his way to Cabin 13 shirtless. He pulled Will's hoodie on.

Nico paused before leaving the infirmary. After all Will had done for him, it felt a little cheap to just ditch out on him without a trace. Thinking fast, Nico pulled a legal pad and pen out of a drawer. He bit off the pen's cap and quickly scrawled a note. He tore the page out, recapped the pen, and shoved the legal pad and pen back into the drawer. He carefully placed the note where Will could see it. Satisfied, Nico took a deep breath and left.

* * *

_Sunshine,_

_I'm awake and not dead, thanks to you. I'm feeling lots better now, so I'm going to go to my cabin to shower and sleep this off. I hope you get plenty of rest. You deserve it. Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Thank you for everything._

_\- Nico_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last update until 08/31/20. I will be on vacation and won't have access to the Internet. Hope you all have a fantastic couple weeks! Love, Rosie.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M BACK BITCHES! Sorry if this sucks, my vacay was chaotic af but fun until shit went down and my Grandpa died . . . so yeah my life is crazzzyyzyzyzyzy right now. Also, I start school tomorrow (on a Tuesday? I know it's weird; I had to miss the first day because today was the funeral - which is also why I'm posting late in the day BUT STILL ON TIME BITCH!) so I will have less time to write. I still plan to update every Monday until Oct 5, although chapters might get shorter. Anyway, here's Chapter 6 of "All Too Well".

"Ow! Gods of Olympus, Will!'' Nico flinched away from his boyfriend.

Will sighed heavily and set down the small glass jar of salve he'd made on the bed. "Babe,'' he said patiently. "Hold still. This'll only take a minute.''

Nico slumped against his pillows. For the last two weeks, Will had come early every morning to Cabin 13. Usually Nico would pop out of the bathroom, drying his hair, half-naked, and Will would be sitting on his unmade bed. Nico was now used to seeing Will sitting there holding a jar of sticky paste he claimed to be "salve" for Nico's healing wounds.

"You don't put the others through this,'' Nico grumbled. This was true. Travis, Katie, and Cecil had all suffered similar injuries, but Will only insisted on rubbing slime into their cuts every _other_ day. Nico got it _every_ day.

"Your cuts were worse to begin with,'' Will pointed out. "And you aren't healing as quickly as they are.''

This was unfortunately also true. The deep cuts a demon had gouged into his arms and ribs two weeks before were healing well, but irritatingly slowly. They didn't hurt unless pressure was applied, which Nico was grateful for. His skin was just taking abnormally long to knit back together because of the demon's poison. Nico had already torn the stitches twice training in the arena. After the second time, Will made him stop training until his doctor said he could. Coincidentally, Will was Nico's doctor.

Nico was honestly getting frustrated with his boyfriend. He was bored and restless without being able to train. On top of that, Will decided Nico shouldn't ingest anymore unicorn draught, nectar, or ambrosia, so Nico would have to heal slowly like a mortal. It was probably a good call. Too much of the gods' food could make a demigod go up in smoke, literally. Most of Will's calls were probably good ones, Nico knew. But applying gooey salve to his skin couldn't have had many benefits, despite what Will claimed.

"See, all done!'' Announced Will, screwing the lid back on the jar. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Yeah, it was,'' Nico muttered.

Will clicked his tongue chidingly. "Just a few more days, love.''

Nico was already plenty cranky enough without the reminder that he would be enduring this the next morning and the morning after that. He glared at Will.

Some people might have been put off by Nico's extreme moodiness, but not Will Solace. Will patted the son of Hades' cheek and smiled enduringly. "I know you hate it when I baby you, Neeks, but right now you're acting like a baby, so I'm going to treat you accordingly. If you want to be treated like a big boy, quit whining, 'mkay?'' Will kissed him.

Nico stared at him, both dumbfounded and impressed. And a little turned on. Will could be incredibly bossy and stubborn when it came to his patients. He was also the only person in Camp Half-Blood who wasn't afraid to talk to Nico di Angelo like that. Nico loved how fearless Will was when it came to their relationship; he told Nico what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear (which was typically nothing at all). It was hot.

Will's face was inches from Nico's after the quick kiss. That close Nico could map out every familiar freckle. He longed to trace a finger over them, to connect the dots, to draw Will's face even closer until there was no space between them. He held back. _I'm supposed to be brooding right now,_ Nico reminded himself. _Not thirsting over my incredibly sexy boyfriend and caressing his hot-as-fuck freckles._

Will's blue eyes sparkled in a way that told Nico Will knew exactly what he was thinking. _Well, I tried,_ he consoled himself. Nico slid his long fingers behind Will's neck and drew him in for a long, slow kiss. His lips worked against Will's warm mouth, Nico's thumbs stroked the tan skin of his neck. Will emitted a low hum of pleasure. His eyes were closed, but his hands found Nico's hips without delay. Nico felt the pressure of his fingertips against his hip bones and arched into it with a sharp gasp. Will pulled him onto his lap so Nico could wrap his legs around his waist.

Nico removed his hands from Will's neck and pressed them against Will's chest. Will's eyes fluttered open, his lashes brushing Nico's angular cheekbones. His blue eyes said _Yes, please,_ and Nico pushed him down onto the bed. Sitting on top of Will, who was stretched out on the bed underneath him like a Shiksa goddess, Nico grew hard. Will guiding their hips together and Nico barely bit back a cry as their bodies collided. He let himself collapse onto Will's chest, kissing every inch of his face and neck. Will squirmed around, trying to catch Nico's lips with his own. Nico allowed them to drink each other in. He slid his hands under Will's shirt before he was too drunk on him to form coherent thoughts — like getting Will out of his bothersome clothing.

The orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt was halfway up Will's stomach, when the son of Apollo caught Nico's hand. "Wait,'' he gasped.

Nico, breathing hard, stopped. "What?''

"We'll finish this later,'' Will spoke with effort. "The salve needs to sink in or it won't help you heal.''

Despite himself, Nico laughed breathily. "Are you _serious,_ Will?''

Will smiled apologetically. "Yeah. Sorry, Nico, this is unfortunately just one of those situations where I have to put your health as my patient before my wanting as your boyfriend.''

Nico sighed, disappointed, but he knew it was pointless to argue. He rolled off Will. Will sat up and straightened his rumpled clothes. Nico watched his lean body move under fabric and had to bite his lip hard to keep from pouncing on him.

Will noticed his expression and cracked a smile. "What?"

_You know damn well what._

Nico grabbed his shirt from where he'd left it when he'd taken it off so Will could apply the salve. "Nothing.''

"No, what?"

Mock innocence crossed Nico's face. "Nothing at all, I can assure you.''

"Please,'' Will begged, and Nico wasn't actually sure whether or not his desperation was in joking this time. "I want to know.'' He leaned towards Nico so they were in dangerously close proximity again. He whispered, "Talk sexy to me, eh?''

Nico snorted in a very unsexy way. He stood up and began to inch his shirt on carefully so he didn't smear the stupid salve that had made sure he didn't have a pleasurable morning. "If I wasn't so damn slimy, I'd fuck you right here and now, Solace."

Will grinned. "Raincheck?"

"Better be,'' Nico grumbled.

A knock sounded at the door. Will glanced up. "Maybe it's good we held off for today.''

"Oh, my darling,'' said Nico. "I have yet to teach you the art of ignoring people.''

"When you have a good excuse? Yeah, right, but what excuse do you have now?''

Nico sighed heavily. "None.''

He answered the door.

Austin Lake greeted him friendlily. "Hey, Nico. Will said he was coming here this morning. Is he available?"

Nico said nothing, but stepped back so Will could greet his brother. "Hi Austin. What's up?"

"Rachel just got here.''

It took Nico a full second to realize Austin was talking about Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Will shot him a surprised look. "Rachel Dare's at Camp?" He clarified.

Austin nodded. "Did you guys not hear the helicopter? It dropped her off like ten minutes ago.''

Nico didn't look at Will. "We were busy.''

Austin blinked. "Um, okay.''

"TMI,'' Will muttered to Nico. "We talked about this.''

"Mmm, sorry. Must've forgotten.''

"Anyway,'' said Austin quickly, "Rachel went straight to the Oracle's cave. She didn't come say hello or anything. Chiron said we should send someone up to check on her. We voted you, Will.''

"Why?" Asked Will in a mystified voice. "I barely know Rachel.''

Austin shrugged. "No one here right now does. Her friends are all summer campers only. We thought you would be the best choice because, you know, Dad.''

Will eyebrows shot up. "You thought I should talk to Rachel Dare because my dad — _our_ dad — is the god of prophecy?"

"Yes,'' said Austin sheepishly.

"But you and Kayla . . . ?"

"You're the best with people,'' Austin offered.

"He's right,'' said Nico. "You're dating me.''

"Exactly!"

Will and Nico glared at Austin.

"Sorry,'' he blurted. "I, um, I'm gonna go now.'' He hurried away from Cabin 13.

Nico rolled his eyes. "'Exactly!'" He mimicked. "Gods.''

"You said it first,'' Will pointed out.

"Yeah, but I can do that. Because,'' said Nico, "it's me.''

Will rolled his eyes. He grabbed Nico's hand and dragged him out the door. "Come on, Death Boy. Let's go talk to Rachel.''

* * *

Rachel Dare was not happy to see them. Nico took no offense. He was use to people not giving him enthusiastic greetings. He had not needed to come in the first place; he just came along as moral support for Will. Will, however, looked taken aback when Rachel whirled on them and snapped, _"Go away!"_

Nico had not seen Rachel since January when Apollo and Meg McCaffrey came to Camp. He had never been close to Rachel or even exchanged more than a couple words, but nonetheless, Nico was surprised to see her looking so grown-up. She was no longer the cool teen girl with her frizzy red hair and paint-splattered jeans. Rachel appeared to be a sophisticated young woman, her hair pulled up in neat bun, wearing clean but simple clothing that looked like it cost more than the entire Demeter Cabin. Nico guessed that it was the result of Rachel attending a ladies' prep school. It made Nico a little sad to think about.

Will and Nico had hiked up to the cave and entered it without any problem. No one ever went up there anyway, and since Rachel hadn't been to Camp Half-Blood for months, it was a little musty. Rachel was easily found shoving things into a large backpack. The cave's walls were sloppily washed white for some reason Nico didn't know. Other than a few pieces of dusty furniture, the only others items in the cavern were some lonely looking eisles and abandoned art supplies. That was what Rachel was cramming into her backpack. Tubes of paint, brushes, charcoal pencils, pastels, even a box of crayons.

"Rachel?" Will had called tentatively.

That was when she had spun around and yelled at them to go away.

Will actually stepped back, a look of alarm crossing his face.

Nico didn't really mind being snapped at, but he was miffed at Rachel for upsetting Will. Nico had rarely seen his boyfriend this uncertain about anything. Nico was about to snap something equally mean at Rachel Dare, when he noticed the tear-stains running down her cheeks. She saw him looking and quickly scrubbed at her face. Nico glanced nervously at Will. Comforting people — especially girls — had never been Nico's strong suit. Will, however, was a natural. He set his jaw firmly and took back the step he had retreated. "Rachel,'' he said again, this time sounding sure of his words. "What's going on?"

Rachel stuffed the last of the art supplies in her backpack. She zipped it up and threw it to the floor. Then she sighed shakily, wiping smeared mascara from her face. Nico hadn't even realized she was wearing makeup until that moment. "I'm sorry,'' she said.

"It's alright,'' Will assured her. "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding—"

"I'm leaving.''

Nico and Will both stared at her. Nico found his voice first. "You're _what?"_

Rachel looked like she was fighting back more tears. "I'm leaving Camp Half-Blood. I—I don't think I'll be coming back.''

Nico's mouth was dry. "Not ever?"

Rachel shook her head. _Not ever._

"But,'' Will protested, "you're our oracle! You can't just leave—"

"Well, that's exactly what I'm doing!" She snapped.

Will softened his voice. "Why?"

"Because . . ." Rachel fought for the right words. She came up empty.

Nico exchanged a worried glance with Will. Enough had gone wrong for the campers already over the last couple months. How could Rachel leave them now?

"You're the son of Apollo, Will,'' said Rachel, sounding a bit desperate. "You should understand!"

Will got what she was saying a moment before Nico. "This is about my dad. You're leaving Camp because of him.'' It wasn't a question.

Rachel twisted her hands together fretfully. "No. Yes. I don't know. Possibly.''

"Rachel,'' Will began, but Rachel cut him off.

"There's no place for me here anymore!" She cried. "I'm useless without Delphi's power! And since the gods' silence, since Apollo became mortal, there's been nothing at all! So what's the point in me staying her any longer? I'm not a demigod. I'm not a camper, not really. I don't belong here. I have no reason to stay, no reason to come back this summer or ever!" She choked on the last word.

Nico's heart twisted painfully for Rachel. Everything she'd just said was true. Everything was true, except one thing. "You do belong here, Rachel. You belong here just as much as Percy or Annabeth or Piper or anyone else. You may not be a demigod, but you are a camper at Camp Half-Blood. This is your home. And we're your family.''

Rachel gazed mournfully at him. She looked like she was about to cry again. Nico's heart was pounding in his chest. He hadn't meant to go off on an emotionally charged tangent. But he had meant every word he'd said. He knew he couldn't convince Rachel of it. Maybe though, her knowing that he meant it would be enough.

Warm fingers wrapped around Nico's. Nico squeezed Will's hand. He didn't take his eyes off Rachel, but he felt Will's presence beside him, watching him intently. Will was probably as surprised by Nico's words as Nico was himself.

"Rachel,'' Nico said, after a minute or so passed in silence. "Please. Don't go.''

Rachel inhaled deeply. Her breath rattled wetly and she surpassed another sob. Nico hated seeing her like this. She usually had such a handle on herself, free sprint though she was. Now she seemed so crushed. It was destroying her to leave Camp behind, Nico realized. What else could he say? What else could he do? He'd given it his best shot. There was nothing else he or will could do or say to make Rachel stay.

Nico silently cursed the gods for their silence. This was _their_ fault. _They_ had created this mess. If only Apollo was still a god on Mount Olympus. Jason would be alive and Rachel would be coming back to Camp Half-Blood in a couple weeks to resume her position as Delphi's host. Despite his bitter thoughts, an idea suddenly popped into Nico's head.

"What if,'' he slowly began. "What if the gods break their silence? What if Apollo becomes a god again and returns to Mount Olympus and the gods commune with half-bloods again and you get your powers back?" He spoke breathlessly, his sentences running together.

Rachel narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Do you think that could happen?" He voice was hoarse from crying.

_Gods, I hope so. We're all kinda fucked if not._ "Of course,'' Nico managed.

Rachel considered this. "If my powers return,'' she said, "then I will come back to Camp Half-Blood.''

The relief that washed over Nico was so strong he resisted the urge to laugh hysterically. Or cry. Or throw up. Preferably not in that order.

Nico didn't know what to say. Should he thank her for relenting? It didn't seem like the right thing to do. If anything, Nico was the one who should be thanked for convincing her to not ditch out completely. But Nico didn't want Rachel's thanks or anyone's. He was just relieved she was coming back. Besides, the brilliant smile Will gave Nico was enough of a reward.

Rachel swiped at her eyes. She hefted her backpack onto one shoulder. "Have you heard from your dad, Will?"

Nico felt Will stiffen. "No,'' he said shortly. "Not since last time he was at Camp.''

Rachel nodded as if she had expected this. "Last January?"

"Yeah.''

"You were there,'' Nico added helpfully.

Rachel managed a rueful half-smile. "I remember.''

"You haven't heard from him, have you?" Will asked. "Apollo, I mean. I'm getting kind of worried about him. He showed up at Camp Jupiter about month ago with the dead body of Jason Grace. No one's heard from him since.''

Rachel shook her head. "I haven't heard from Apollo since I last saw him. If I do, I'll make sure you're the first to know.'' She paused, then added softly. "And I'm sorry about Jason. Annabeth told me what happened. I wanted to attend the memorial, but I didn't feel welcome.''

Despite the ever-present pain at hearing Jason's name, Nico was startled by her last words.

"You're always welcome here,'' said Will, who looked just as puzzled as Nico felt.

Rachel's shoulders sagged. "I know . . . But without Delphi, I don't feel like I belong . . . Ugh, never mind. We've been over this." She smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry I sound like a broken record. Keep me updated on Apollo. If you hear anything at all, I'd really appreciate it if you let me know.''

"Sure thing,'' said Will. Nico nodded in agreement.

Rachel sighed heavily. She looked remarkably tired for an eighteen year-old, Nico thought. An exhaustion with life that was on par with a seasoned soldier was etched on her face. She turned in a slow circle, eyes scanning every inch of the white-washed cavern walls. Her teeth set in her bottom lip. Nico and Will waited in respectful silence. When she turned back to the two boys, her eyes glimmered with tears. "I have to go now. Goodbye.''

"Can't you stay for lunch at least?" Will asked.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I told my pilot to circle back around in half an hour. He should be back soon.''

Sure enough, the whir of helicopters blades sounded behind them. Will and Nico walked with Rachel out of the cave. Nico's hair blew wildly as a strong wind hit him almost hard enough to cause him to stumble backward. Will put a steadying hand on his shoulder. The helicopter landed and as the blades slowed, so did the wind they had created. Nico wondered how a helicopter was able to cross Camp Half-Blood's magical border that kept mortals out. Chiron allowed Rachel in, so Nico assumed he had let the pilot land the helicopter there too.

Rachel opened the helicopter door with the ease of someone used to flying often. Nico, a child of the Underworld, didn't know how she spent so much time in the air. Much to his surprise, after tossing her backpack full of art supplies into the backseat, Rachel took his hands in hers. Nico tried not to flinch at the physical contact. "Thank you, Nico.'' She smiled and two tears ran down her cheeks. She quickly let go of Nico's hands, dipped her head towards Will, and boarded the helicopter.

Will and Nico stood back while the helicopter took off. They watched it disappear over the treetops of the forest. Nico's hand found Will's. They walked back to the Big House in silence.

* * *

"So that's it then,'' said Chiron. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, although his eyes were sad. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare has left Camp Half-Blood.''

"She said she'd come back if Delphi does,'' Will reminded him.

Chiron sighed heavily. Nico thought he would tell them something more, maybe he'd heard something from someone, but the centaur only said, "Indeed.''

"She asked about my dad,'' said Will. "This has something to do with him, right? We established that as soon as he showed up here months ago. Have you heard from him? Is he alright?" Will's blue eyes were grim, but Nico found it hard to take him serious with his blow hair so windswept and him looking so damn cute.

Chiron regarded the son of Apollo thoughtfully. "No, Will. I have not heard from your father. But Apollo has proven resourceful; he's pulled through many obstacles thus far. I believe he is doing fine.'' Chiron paused as if deciding whether or not to share some vital information.''

"What?" Will pressed. "Chiron, what is it?"

"I know nothing for sure,'' said Chiron. "But I think — that is, I have a feeling that we will be seeing Apollo soon.''

"At Camp?" asked Nico.

Chiron nodded. "I assume so.''

Will looked at Nico, his eyes wide. He appeared slightly panicked at the thought of seeing Apollo again sometime soon. Nico knew the feeling well. He'd been around Hades much more than most demigods were around their godly parent, but he never really got comfortable with being around his father. Will had only met once or twice, Lester-form included. Of course, Apollo was virtually pathetic as a mortal so that took off some pressure, but still. Nico raised his eyebrows at Will, hoping it looked encouraging and not dismissive like _Your problem, not mine._ Unfortunately, Will didn't look encouraged.

"Come on, Sunshine.'' Nico linked his arm around Will's. Will look relieved to be leaving the Big House. "Let's go get some lunch.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kind comments! They really make my day :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I really just update before noon? **Lé gasp** Happy U.S. Labor Day, y'all.

Nico was getting dressed for the day when Will came in. Like usual, he disregarded knocking before entering completely. If it was anyone other than Will, Nico would have been completely mortified to have someone walk in on him when he was only in his boxers. But he just said, "Hey Will,'' when his boyfriend stormed his cabin at 8 AM.

Will strode purposefully forward. "Hey babe.''

Nico raised his eyebrows. "What're you doing?"

"What do you think?" Will stopped in front of him.

Nico blinked. "I . . . don't know.'' Then it dawned on him and he groaned. " _Will._ Again? But you said yesterday was the last day,'' he whined.

Will cracked a smile. "Don't worry, I'm not here to apply salve to your wounds. You've healed well.''

"Took me nearly three weeks,'' Nico grumbled, but he was relieved. The wounds the demon had inflicted were nearly gone, just faint scars that Nico might have forever. He didn't mind. Every half-blood had scars. Nico was just glad Will didn't have to smear sticky goo on his ribs and arms every morning anymore.

Will crossed his arms over his chest. "So?"

Nico threw up his arms. "'So' what? I don't know! Am I supposed to track your moods like you track mine?''

Will grinned. "Keep guessing.''

_"I don't know.''_

"Ask me then.''

Resisting the urge palm himself in the head, Nico asked, "What are you doing here, Will Solace?"

Will's grin widened like a cat's. "I'm here to finish what I started.''

"Wha—"

Before Nico could finish, Will pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. Nico stopped mid-sentence, his mouth slightly open. His brain was washed white as the sight of bare tan skin flooded his vision. He swallowed hard and looked up at Will's face. Will still had that catlike grin, but there was also a glint in his eyes. Nico fumbled with the hem of his own black t-shirt. He felt Will slide his warm hands under it, pausing for a moment to rest on his bare skin, before slipping the t-shirt over Nico's head. He dropped it onto his own shirt on the floor.

Nico wrapped his pale arms around Will's neck. He drew his boyfriend in for a kiss. Will responded with enthusiasm, dragging his lips from Nico's mouth to his chin, jaw, and neck. Nico hummed with pleasure. His fingers flexed against Will's neck as Will found the hollow of his throat. When Nico felt the rough surface of Will's tongue tracing his collarbone, he knew just how far Will was planning to go. Nico pulled away.

Will was breathing heavily and his face was flushed. Yet he still managed to look at Nico with hurt and concern. "Did I do something wrong?"

Nico didn't reply. Instead, he seized Will by the arm and tugged him towards his bed. Will needed no persuasion. Nico's bed was still unmade from that morning, but it didn't seem important at the moment. Nico stopped by the bed and placed his hands on Will's bare chest. He splayed his fingers out, stroking his thumbs against the firm pectorals.

"So I didn't do anything wrong?" Will eyes were alight.

Nico smirked and shoved him onto the bed. Will fell on his back with Nico on top of him, the mattress groaning in protest. _Shut up,_ Nico mentally chided it. He ran his fingers through Will's blond hair, his skull ring snagging in the pale strands as he brushed them away so he could kiss Will's forehead. Nico felt Will's hands pressed against his thighs and it was all he could do to keep from squirming in anticipation. Nico kept kissing Will and Will kept holding Nico. They remained that way for several minutes before Nico decided it was time to move things along.

He pulled back from Will's kiss-swollen face and shifted his light weight into a sitting position on Will's stomach. Knowing Will was watching intently, Nico undid his belt and tossed it in the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Nico looked at Will, silently asking permission. Will gave his nod of consent and Nico undid Will's belt too. Then Nico began to shimmy out of the jeans he had put on only ten minutes before.

Once both boys were dressed only in their boxer shorts, all other articles of clothing discarded on the floor, things got truly heated. Nico was already hard and he could feel beneath him that Will was too. Nico lay flat against Will, kissing his freckled shoulders and nipping at his neck. Nico hit a sweet spot and Will moaned and bucked his hips. Nico almost giggled — something very un-Nico-like — from pleasure as his hips ground against Will's.

Will wrapped his arms around Nico's waist and flipped them over. Their bodies made a _flump_ sound as they landed and the bed frame creaked. Nico was now under Will, which was fairly uncommon for them. Nico was usually Top because he was half a foot shorter and twenty pounds lighter than Will, but Will didn't put his full weight on Nico. Nico almost wished he would because he enjoyed the pressure against his ribs. Will propped himself up on an elbow, and used the other arm to drag his fingertips down Nico's body from shoulder to hip. He pressed his palm just above Nico's naval, pushing his spine into the bed. Nico murmured his name over and over. Will's hands slid down Nico's flat stomach. His fingertips went under the waistband of Nico's boxers. With astonishing lightness, they brushed Nico's hip bone. The tentativeness of the movement sent a tingling sensation flooding through Nico's body. 

They progressed further, until there was nothing between them but bare skin and burning passion. In the final moment, when the climax arrived stronger than ever before, it was only the two of them together and the words of each other's names on their lips.

* * *

Nico lay panting, his head on Will's chest. They were on Nico's bed, tangled in sheets, drenched in sweat. Will had his arms wrapped around Nico. Nico was laying against Will. They had been like that the last several minutes, trying to catch their breath. Nico was exhausted, but he couldn't help but run his hands slowly through damp Will's hair. Will had his eyes closed and he was breathing heavily. But Nico knew he was awake. He was stroking Nico's pale sweaty skin.

Nico took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. That was . . . _amazing._ It hadn't been their first time, but it was definitely the best so far. Will knew exactly what he liked and what he wanted. What he _needed._ Gods. Nico loved him. So fucking much. It was overwhelming how much. It stole Nico's breath from chest.

"Neeks?" Will blinked his eyes open.

Nico shifted so he could see his face. "Hey, Sunshine.''

Will smiled softly. He gently stroked Nico's cheek with an index finger. "That was . . ."

"Yeah,'' Nico agreed. "It was.''

"What time do you think it is?" Will asked a little reluctantly.

"Maybe ten?"

Will cursed in ancient Greek.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Nico tried to sound casual.

"Yes,'' said Will, apologetically. "I'm teaching a class on medicine in Cabin 7 at eleven.''

"Oh,'' said Nico, trying not to be too disappointed. "That's cool.''

Will sighed. "The timing could have been better.''

"It's okay, Will,'' said Nico. "I'll go with you.''

"Really?" Will perked up.

"Sure.'' Nico smiled and kissed him. He nuzzled into Will's neck and whispered, "For you, anything.''

Will kissed the top of his head. "I love you, Nico.''

"I love you, Will,'' Nico murmured. It was something he once would have been utterly terrified to say. Now he found immeasurable comfort and pleasure in the words. _I love you, Will._ There was something truly magical, in a fashion not even Hecate could replicate, about telling the person you love more than anyone how you feel. Even if Nico had said it a hundred times — even if in his lifetime he would say it a thousand, a _million_ times if he was lucky — he never got tired of saying it. And he knew Will never got tired of hearing it. The same applied to Will saying he loved Nico. No matter what, it always made Nico feel something. Something good. It made him feel more alive than he suspected any child of Hades ever had.

Will shifted under him. Nico rolled off so Will could get up. He watched as Will's long, graceful body got out of bed, grabbed his clothes off the floor, and headed towards the bathroom. Will turned around before entering the bathroom. A playful charm glinted in his eyes. "Whatcha lookin at?"

Nico rolled his eyes. He got out of bed, grabbed his own clothes, and joined Will outside the bathroom. When Will's brow furrowed in confusion, Nico strode into the bathroom, calling over his shoulder, "We're doing this together too.''

Their clothes ended up on the floor again.

"You know,'' said Will, as he massaged shampoo through Nico's hair, "the Aphrodite kids would be horrified if they saw us always dumping our clothes like that.''

Nico snorted. "Are you kidding? They'd be thrilled.''

_"Babe.''_

"The harpy who's going to have to wash my sheets is going to be considerably less thrilled—"

Will aggressively scrubbed Nico's scalp. "Okay, that's enough from you.'' He pulled him back under the stream of shower water.

Nico rinsed his hair as Will shampooed his own. Nico could barely reach the top of Will's head, so he just watched as Will's long healer's fingers lathered soap through his hair. Nico took the soap bar and scrubbed off all the sweat and stickiness from the morning while Will rinsed his hair. Then he handed the bar of soap to Will.

"You know,'' said Will, as he scrubbed his elbows ( _Do normal people even do that?_ Nico wondered), "our anniversary is coming up.''

"Yeah,'' Nico realized. "It is.'' It was mid-May already. The summer campers would be arriving soon. Nico couldn't believe that it had almost been a year since the quest of the Seven. Then in early August of last year, he and Will had become friends. By the end of August, they were a couple. Shit had started going down in January, when Apollo was chucked off Olympus. But even so, "It's been the happiest year of my life.''

Will put the soap bar down and leaned forward to kiss Nico. "Mine too.''

The water was streaming around them, making it slick, but Nico didn't care. He used it to his advantage. He slid his hands up Will's torso, wrapping them loosely around his neck and pulling him closer. Will braced his hands on the wings of Nico's shoulder blades. Their lips collided again and again. Nico's mouth slid easily against Will's, his mouth filling with water as it opened. They were a mingling of lips and tongues and water all slipping together like the blur of a polaroid photo. When they finally stopped, gasping and choking a little on the water, Will said, "I think this might have been a step backward.''

Nico laughed and it echoed throughout the bathroom.

"But seriously, I cannot be late to for this class.'' Will handed Nico the bar of soap. "Get my back for me, will you?"

* * *

Much to Nico's surprise, they did make it to Will's class on time. It took place in the infirmary and a handful of disinterested looking campers showed up. It was an introduction to medicine, so Nico already knew everything from spending so much time with Will. Still, he enjoyed watching Will teach. Will was a good teacher. All campers at Camp Half-Blood were taught first-aid upon arriving, as it was vastly important for demigods to learn. Will's class was on the art of healing beyond what ambrosia and nectar could do. He talked about mortal medicine and how it worked, how it was made, and it's uses at Camp. He showed them three different ways to wrap a sprained ankle.

Nico loved how passionate Will was about everything. The previously bored looking class was clearly drawn in by it too. Will obviously knew what he was talking about, but it went deeper than that. He _loved_ it. This was what Will Solace was truly about: healing people. Helping people. Just the way he had Nico. He had healed Nico's heart, his mind, his soul. He had helped him immensely, more so than he'd ever know and more so than Nico could ever explain with words. That was why Nico loved him.

Nico briefly thought of Apollo and Rachel Dare. Rachel had driven herself out of Camp Half-Blood because of the silence of Delphi. Python had repossessed the Oracle and Apollo had been MIA for months until he showed up as a mortal. Apollo was Will's father, from whom he had gotten his gift of healing from. Apollo and Rachel were both connected to Will through his parentage, though Rachel and Will barely knew each other and the connection was thin. Nico remembered Apollo. Apollo loved his children at Camp. He was proud of them, Will especially. Nico didn't blame him. Apollo made a rather unimpressive mortal. Will seemed much more godly, if Nico was being honest. Or, at least, Will was everything a god should be — using his gifts to help people out of kindness, not because it would have any benefits for him.

Maybe it was because of the morning's events, maybe it was because of something else entirely. Either way, Nico was really horny. His love for Will's body and soul was overwhelming. He was considering inviting Will back to Cabin 13 immediately after class got over, when Austin popped his head in.

"Will? Sorry to interrupt class,'' Austin said, "but you're needed immediately at the Big House.''

Will's emergency response time was instantaneous. He immediately put down the bottles of unicorn draught and nectar he was holding (he'd been teaching the class the difference between the two) and grabbed a satchel he used to transport supplies. The only reason Will would be immediately needed was if there was a medical emergency. "Class dismissed,'' he said briskly. The campers quickly dispersed. "Who's injured?" He asked, as he grabbed some ambrosia. "What happened?" Nico moved to his side and held the satchel open. Will gave him a quick smile of gratitude.

"Uh, actually,'' said Austin, looking a little uncomfortable, "it's a Hunter of Artemis.''

Nico stiffened.

"Oh.'' Will was caught off guard, but only for the briefest of moments. "Is it a half-blood?" Some of Artemis's chosen Hunters were demigods from Camps Half-Blood or Jupiter, or half-blood loners.

Austin shook his head. "No, she's not. And I don't know what happened. There's a lot of blood . . . ''

Will put the ambrosia back; it only worked for those who had the blood of the gods. He grabbed some bandages, linen, a sewing kit, and a jar of something a dark shade of green. He threw in a bottle of Advil. He took the satchel from Nico, giving him a concerned look and gestured for him to follow.

As they jogged towards the Big House, Nico felt vaguely ill. He had complicated feelings towards the Hunter of Artemis. His mind always circled back around the same way whenever he thought of Bianca. His first instinct was to hate the Hunters. They were the easiest target to blame for Bianca's death. If she hadn't joined them, she would still be alive. She would have been with Nico, at Camp Half-Blood, and none of the nightmarish events that had occurred in the last four years of his life would have happened. But joining the Hunters had been Bianca's choice, Nico kept reminding himself. She had chosen to leave him. The Hunters never meant for her to die. If she'd known what was going to happen to her newest recruit, Zoë Nightshade would never had allowed Bianca to go on that quest. Of course, Zoë didn't live to regret it for more than a week. That somehow made Nico feel worse.

Besides Bianca's death, after the Titan War, Thaila Grace had joined the Hunters and gone cross-country searching for new recruits. This rubbed Nico all kinds of wrong. It made him feel like the Hunters were simply going to replace the ones they'd lost in the war, Bianca included. He knew this thought too was irrational and unfair. Thalia only hoped to build up the newly diminished ranks after the Titan War; she never in million years thought of it as replacing those who were lost.

Nico couldn't even hate the Hunters of Artemis with a clear conscience because they had helped Coach Hedge, Reyna, and he escape Orion while transporting the Athena Parthenos last summer. He hadn't actually seen them that time — they hated men so they kidnapped Reyna and left him and Coach Hedge a note. But Reyna had said both the Hunters and the Amazons, another scary group of female warriors, had helped them, and Nico trusted Reyna. He didn't feel like he _owed_ the Hunters anything like he usually would if someone saved him and his friends, but he did think they deserved his gratitude. So, fine. The Hunters of Artemis had his sister and his gratitude. Despite having made his peace with that, Nico was still wary around them. Just in case they tried taking anything else from him.

Will and Nico slowed to a brisk walk as they arrived at the Big House. There were a dozen girls standing outside, all dressed in silver with bows slung across their backs. Their emotions appeared to range from anxious to furious. Nico couldn't blame them if one of their friends was hurt; he knew the Hunters were as close as sisters. Still, even in their distress, they still managed to eye the boys disdainfully. One of them strode forward to meet them. She stopped in front of the door, blocking them from entering.

"And what do you _boys_ think you're doing?" The girl demanded. Like all the Hunters, she looked about twelve or thirteen, but she had the healthy glow of immortality that betrayed nothing about her true age. She could have been a thousand years old, Nico knew.

Will held up his satchel. "I'm the healer. I've come to help your friend.'' He spoke in the soothing voice he used on patients, his smile calm and confident.

Nico noticed a smear of fresh blood on the porch steps.

"Oh.'' The girl narrowed her pale blue eyes. She ran a hand through her blonde pixie cut hair. Then she jerked her pointy chin towards Nico. "And who is _he?"_

"Healer's assistant.'' Will hadn't missed a beat. _Damn,_ he was good.

The blonde Hunter sniffed. "There's already one male in there. A centaur. We don't want anymore _boys_ than necessary. He stays outside.''

Nico glared at her. She glared back. They probably would have gone on like that for quite some time, but Will intervened. "Listen, I need to hurry and get to your friend so I can save her. And I _need_ my assistant. Are you going to let us in or not?"

"I'm a friend of Thalia's,'' Nico added.

This was apparently _not_ the right thing to say. The girl looked outraged. "' _Friend'_? How dare you call yourself friend of our lieutenant?" She cried shrilly. "No, you are not allowed in, lest you try to seduce her with your male impudence!"

 _Lest?_ Was Nico's first thought. _She's definitely at least three hundred._ Then the rest of her statement registered and he blinked. "Uh,'' he glanced at Will, who looked lost for words, "I don't swing that way.''

"You don't—?" The girl began, puzzled.

"I'm gay.''

Will regained his composure. "Ah, yes, my assistant also happens to be my boyfriend. Forgot to mention that.''

"Oh.'' The Hunter appeared to relax. "Okay. Well, in that case, I guess you can both go in . . ." She stepped aside.

They didn't wait for her to change her mind. They hurried in. To the right of the entry hall, there was a small sparsely furnished sub-rec room. On the couch, a girl was lying still, her face chalky-white, her eyes closed. Thalia Grace was kneeling beside her, pressing a bloody rag against her side. Will crossed the room in several long strides and crouched down beside her. He placed a hand on her forehead and frowned. Will dug in his satchel and fished out a clean linen. He nodded at Thalia, politely asking her to move aside. She did so, standing up and backing away. She shot Nico a half-hearted smile of greeting which he returned, but he could tell she was agitated. She was twisting her hands together and gnawing her lip.

"What happened?" Will asked, as he removed the bloody rag from the girl's side. He pulled her torn shirt up just enough to examine the wound. Nico couldn't see it well through the blood, but he could tell it was bad. Will gently covered it with the linen and began applying pressure. He glanced up questioningly at Thalia, awaiting an answer to his question.

"Sorry.'' Thalia looked like she'd just awakened from a daze. She looked exhausted, utterly spent. "We've been tracking the Teumessian Fox for months now. We finally caught up to it last night in New Jersey, but,'' she swallowed. "But it was even more rabid than we thought. It scratched Genna.''

"Genna? Is that her name?"

Thalia nodded. "Genevieve, yes. It was just a nick, we thought she'd be fine, but it wouldn't stop bleeding . . . Camp Half-Blood was the closest place we could come for treatment.'' She gazed at Genna's pale, still face. "Is she going to be alright?" She sounded more terrified than Nico thought he'd ever heard her. He understood. Thalia had just lost her brother, Jason. She couldn't lose a good friend too. Nico wished there was something he could do to comfort her.

"You're lucky," assured Will, "I can save her, but if you had been an hour or two later, it would've been too late.''

Thalia's breathed sigh of relief. "Thank you.'' She said it simply, but Nico knew she meant it with her whole heart.

"How are you?" Nico asked Thalia, casually, as Will cleaned the wound and began stitching it closed.

Thalia shrugged.

"Me too.''

Thalia cracked a weary smile.

"Nico.'' Will beckoned to him with a bloody hand. Nico wasn't squeamish, and it was a good thing too, because Will had him hold the jar of nasty green paste as he smeared it over the sealed wound. "This will help ward off infection,'' Will explained to Thalia.

She made a face. "Looks gross. Where'd you get it?"

"A nymph who had a crush on me gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday,'' Will explained. Nico's eyebrows shot up. Will smirked. "I turned her down. Not my type.''

Thalia snorted. "Too clingy?"

"Too female.''

"Oh gods.'' Thalia rolled her eyes, but her smile was genuine. Nico smiled too.

"Anyway,'' Will continued, "I haven't had a chance to use it until now because I can just give the campers ambrosia or nectar.''

"Well, let's hope it works.''

Will assured her it would as he began to bandage Genna's wound. After he'd finished, he handed Thalia two Advil and told her to give them to Genna for the pain when she woke up. "If she needs anymore before you head out, just stop by the infirmary.''

"How long are you planning to stay?'' Nico asked. Whenever the Hunters of Artemis came to Camp Half-Blood they were welcome to stay however long they liked at Cabin 8, which was Artemis's empty honorary cabin since she was a maiden goddess.

"I'm not sure.'' Thalia pushed her dark hair back, knocking her silver lieutenant's diadem askew. Nico noticed she had on a black t-shirt that said WHY PANIC IN THE CLASSROOM WHEN YOU COULD PANIC! AT THE DISCO? in neon yellow letters. Nico approved. He momentarily had the urge to turn off the lights to see if it was glow-in-the-dark. "We'll probably get moving as soon as Genna's well enough to travel. How long do you think that will be, Solace?"

"Two days at the earliest,'' said Will. "But I'd recommend more.''

"Hunters heal quickly,'' said Thalia. "If two days was the earliest for a mere mortal or demigod, it would be the latest for a Hunter of Artemis.''

Will looked doubtful, but didn't argue. "Where's Chiron?" He asked instead.

"I'm right here.'' Chiron trotted in, his long white tale flicking as if swatting away non-existent flies. Beside him was —

"Reyna.'' Nico's heart plummeted so fast he almost threw up.

Reyna looked just as shocked to see him. And something else too. _Guilt._ Reyna Ramírez-Arellano was dressed like a Hunter: black leggings and a long-sleeved silver thermal shirt, despite the warm day. Her long dark hair was braided simply over one shoulder. Worst of all, she had that unnerving aura around her, the healthy glow of one who would never age and die. The same as the girl who'd stopped Will and Nico outside the Big House, the same as Thalia, the same as . . . No, Nico couldn't think it.

"Nico.'' Reyna stepped towards him.

Nico took an instinctive step back.

Hurt crossed Reyna's face, but she didn't come any closer. Nico didn't care. He didn't care that he was hurting her. Reyna had joined the Hunters of Artemis. How could she? What in the gods' names had she been thinking? He knew how she felt about the Hunters. _She_ knew how _he_ felt about the Hunters. It was a selfish thought, Nico knew. He didn't care. Hurt and panic flooded through his chest like ice. _Oh gods._ Reyna was a Hunter. _Fuck._

"Nico, please, I can explain.''

Nico shook his head mutely. How. How, how, gods, _how_ had this happened? Hadn't he seen Reyna just a month ago? She wasn't a Hunter then, was she? He would have noticed. Or, he realized, he wouldn't have. Last time he'd seen Reyna had been right after he'd found out from Hazel that Jason had died. Was it possible that he had been too distracted then to notice the mark of immortality? But she had also still been dressed like a Roman Praetor then. Had Reyna become a Hunter in between then and now? Nico's head hurt.

He realized he hadn't been breathing, but he couldn't draw in or release any air from his lungs.

He was dimly aware of Will standing up and saying his name. He ignored him.

"I was going to tell you, Nico,'' said Reyna miserably. "Everything just happened so quickly after Jason died and you were already so upset when I came to visit Camp Half-Blood as a Roman one last time and I didn't have the heart to tell you then—''

Nico couldn't take it anymore. The betrayal was too great. He turned on his heel and started out of the Big House. He heard Reyna call out behind him, but he ignored her. The Hunter girl who had stopped he and Will previously tried to stop him again, asking about Genna, but Nico pushed past her. He ignored the other campers' questions, ignored the puzzled glances shot his way, ignored, ignored, ignored. But he couldn't ignore the horrible ache in his chest as stalked towards the forest, choking on his tears.

* * *

_"I don't understand.''_

_"Nico, please,'' Bianca begged. "For once in my life I'm doing what I want to do.''_

_"But I don't—" Nico began again._

_"At least_ try _to understand!" Bianca snapped._

 _Nico felt a sob rising in his throat, but he pushed it back down. He was trying. But he still couldn't understand why Bianca was leaving him for this group of scary glowing girls. He couldn't understand why she_ wanted _to leave him. He was her brother. Her family. Not these girls she'd just met._

 _Still, Nico knew there was truth to what Bianca said. She never got to do what she wanted. She was always taking care of him. Nico hadn't ever thought she minded. Maybe she did._ This is what she wants, _Nico tried telling himself._ She'll be happy. _He thought she was happy with him, but maybe he was wrong. Did she even love him?_ Yes, of course, _Nico chided himself._ And you love her. So let her have this.

_Nico jammed his hands in his pockets. "I understand,'' he mumbled._

_Bianca relaxed. She smiled at him and Nico knew he'd made the right decision to let her go. Even if it hurt him more than anything. "Thanks, Nico. And you get to go to that_ _cool camp! Everyone seems pretty awesome there.''_

_Nico nodded, trying to smile. He didn't mention that he didn't want to go, not if she wasn't coming with him. Bianca di Angelo was like her brother, but somehow Nico suspected she was made of lighter material. He couldn't explain the feeling. But he knew there was a darkness inside him that Bianca didn't have. She was the one who could make friends, the one who could make the lieutenant of a goddess believe she belonged in their Hunt. Nico wasn't like that. The darkness inside repelled people. It wasn't a theory he had tested, but he somehow knew it was true. He didn't want to go to the half-blood camp. Because he knew he was going to be utterly alone there._

_"And I'll visit you as much as I can,'' Bianca continued, her dark eyes shining. Nico doubted he'd see her twice in one year from now on._

_"Okay. Great.'' Nico tried to sound supportive. Of course Bianca didn't care about how often she would see him every year. She was freaking_ immortal _now. She had infinite time. Didn't she understand that he didn't? He would miss her. Bianca might no longer want to care for Nico, but Nico still needed her as much as ever. He never told her that._

_"I'm not trying to abandon you, Neeks.'' Bianca's voice softened._

_Nico looked up. So she did know how he felt about this. And she was doing it anyway? Nico tried not to be angry, but a seething sense of betrayal almost overwhelmed him. "Yeah,'' he said, not trying to fight the bitterness in his voice this time. "Okay.''_

_"Nico . . . " The sad look in Bianca's eyes that had been shining just a moment before made Nico regret showing his emotion._

_"Really,'' Nico managed. He forced a half-smile. "It's okay.''_

_"I just—'' Bianca began again._

Please stop talking, _thought Nico._

_"—need to do this.''_

And I need you. _"Okay.''_

_"Say something else, please,'' begged Bianca._

_Nico had already lost Bianca. Guilt-tripping her, intentionally or not, wouldn't succeed in keeping his sister. She had made her decision. Now Nico had to make his. Bianca was leaving, whether he liked it or not. He hated it, but he could either let her leave with a guilty conscience or feeling at peace with her decision. The dark part of Nico wanted her to feel guilty, wanted her to know how much pain she was causing him. But Nico fought the emerging darkness. He would see Bianca again, he kept reminding himself. It would take more than her temporary leave for the darkness to take him over._

_"I'll be fine at the camp.'' He made his voice as light as possible. "It's a Greek thing, right? I know lots about mythology and stuff. I'm sure I'll fit right in.'' He would never fit it. But he had finally said the right thing. Bianca beamed, apparently convinced by his words. Nico wished she saw right through him._

_Bianca wrapped her arms around her little brother. Her dark hair tickled his cheek._ "Grazie. Ti voglio bene, mio soldatino.''

 _Nico clung tightly to her._ "Ti voglio bene, sorella mia.''

_Nico didn't want to ever let her go. Bianca pulled back too soon and smiled. She kissed his cheek and headed back towards where the other glowing girls sat around a campfire. Nico watched her go. She sat down with the girls and they greeted her enthusiastically. Within seconds she had melted into their clique as if she had always been there. Talking and laughing with them like they'd known each other their whole life. Nico remained in the shadows._

_He briefly wondered where the cool guy with the sword-pen had gone. He had nice eyes, Nico thought. Maybe they could chat. But the guy — Percy Jackson, Nico remembered with a thrill — had lost a friend and was probably conspiring with the goat guy on how to get her back._

_So Nico reminded alone, hiding in the shadows. He watched Bianca and her new Hunter friends. A deep melancholy settled over him._ You'll see Bianca again, _Nico repeated to himself._ She hasn't even left yet. You'll see her again, _he told himself over and over. So why didn't he believe it? After all, Bianca was immortal now. She would outlive Nico by centuries. She would never die._


	8. Chapter 8

The sun was high by the time Nico slowed down. He wasn't sure how long he'd been walking through the forest or why he'd been going so fast. When he slowed down he was breathing hard and his feet ached. He stopped abruptly, looking around. Shit. Did he even know where he was?

Nico ran a hand through his damp hair. Sweat was causing his t-shirt to stick to his back. It was only May, but the sun was already heating up quickly on Long Island Sound. Nico narrowed his eyes, surveying his surroundings. He'd been in the forest enough times to know it well enough. He wasn't exactly sure where he was at the moment, but it seemed vaguely familiar. Nico could find his way back to Camp if he wanted to. Which he didn't. Nico allowed himself the brief thought of what would happen if he left Camp Half-Blood. Again. He'd ran away twice before. He could always do it again. Except he couldn't. This time Nico actually had attachments at Camp. He had Will. He had Kayla and Austin and Cecil and others he considered friends. He couldn't just walk out on them. Nico didn't _want_ to walk out on them. Not this time.

He also didn't want to go back to Camp.

Nico sat down on a fallen log. He tried to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. He could always just wait out the Hunters' visit. He could hang out in the woods until they left. How long had Will said it would be before Genna could go? Two days? Thalia had thought it wouldn't take that long. Even so, Nico would stay out for two days, just in case Thalia was wrong. Nico knew finding water would be no issue, and he could maybe try to persuade a tree nymph to show him to a food source. The weather was fine. It'd get hot in the afternoons and cold at night. Nico didn't have a jacket, so that might be a problem. Even so, Nico had endured much worse conditions for longer periods of time. Hiding out in Camp Half-Blood's forest for two days would be nothing compared to five days spent in a bronze jar with the giants Otis and Ephialtes. Not to mention Tartarus.

Despite the warm air, a shiver ran down Nico's spine at the dark memories. No, he definitely couldn't leave Camp altogether. If only the Hunters of Artemis hadn't shown up. _If only Reyna hadn't joined them._ Nico felt the familiar emotion swell in his chest. Only this time it wasn't as much pain as it was anger. What in the gods' names had Reyna been thinking? Was this some dramatic reaction to Jason dying? Or did Reyna actually think this was the right thing for her to do? Nico could almost hear Will telling him to talk to her. Ask her. _No,_ Nico thought. _Hell no._ He wasn't about to talk to Reyna about her decision. He wasn't the "talk it out" type. Nico wanted her gone. And then he would try to forget her.

He couldn't help but relating the situation to Jason's death. Jason had promised Nico he would always be there. Then he went and died. Reyna left Nico similarly. But not because she'd died; no, she'd _chosen_ to leave him. Nico couldn't be angry with Jason for dying. But Reyna . . . Nico was pissed. Maybe it was unfair. He knew it was selfish. It was Reyna's life. Her decision. Nico shouldn't take it personally. But he was and he did.

Frustrated with himself, Nico leaned forward and placed a hand on the ground. The grass around him was shriveled slightly. That wasn't a thing that typically happened anymore. Nico had gotten it under control with Will's help over the last couple months. Actually, most of his Underworld powers were "under control". That was what Will said. Will believed it, Nico knew, but Nico thought it was something else. He'd had a bad feeling, one he had refused to confront. Now since he was feeling badly anyway, Nico tried to summon a skeleton or two. He pressed his hand into the ground and concentrated. Nothing happened. Nico squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out all thoughts. Still nothing happened.

Nico sat back. He opened his eyes and crossed his arms, more frustrated than ever, although he'd known that was going to happen. His bad feeling had been right. Nico should have payed attention to it sooner. His powers were gone.

Gone, or fading. Nico wasn't quite sure which yet. That was why he hadn't been able to sense Jason dying. It was probably also why he hadn't been able to pinpoint the moment Leo was no longer dead. That had just been the beginning, when only the precision was fading. Now he couldn't even summon a skeleton. _I definitely can't leave Camp now,_ Nico decided. The only reason he'd survived on his own from the time he was ten to fourteen was because of his strong Underworld powers. He was twice the swordsman now, but with all the monsters the son of Hades attracted, he knew he wouldn't last long outside Camp. A part of Nico was almost relieved he had a logical excuse to not run again. It would actually be the death of him if he did.

He sank his teeth into his bottom lip as a nasty thought entered his mind. Nico was trapped. He was trapped in Camp Half-Blood. He could never leave. It would be far too dangerous. Even without his powers, Nico was still the child of Hades. He would still attract a great deal of horrible monsters, but he wouldn't be able to properly fight them off. He would have to spend the rest of his life in Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter, and New Rome. Nico tried telling himself he was getting ahead of himself. Lots of demigods went home to normal school in the Fall. Lots of demigods lived outside the Camps half the time. _But I'm Hades' kid,_ thought Nico. _I could never do that._

Maybe he could though. Maybe his future hadn't just completely vanished with one revelation. Maybe his powers would come back.

The gods had been silent for months. They hadn't been heard from since the end of the Giant War. That was when Nico's powers had started to diminish. Of course, none of the other half-bloods had lost the powers from their godly parents. Not even Will, Kayla, and Austin and Apollo was a freaking _mortal._ Why was Nico the only one losing his powers? It had to be for some other reason . . . Could a god take away his or her child's powers? Was that even possible? And if this was just Hades fucking with Nico, _why?_ What had Nico possibly done to offend his father so much? Nico tried not to care about his father as a general rule, but he couldn't help feeling hurt by the idea.

There were other reasons Nico might be losing his powers, but he tried not thinking about them. The first horrid idea that slid into his mind was that it had to do with him accidentally shattering the Scepter of Diocletian last summer. That was some pretty extreme Underworld magic. Had it somehow claimed his power as punishment and it had just taken all this time to fully manifest? If that was the case, Nico had no hope. The Scepter was destroyed. There was no chance of fixing it or getting another. If it had claimed his powers there was no way he could ever get them back.

Loss of power could also be a temporary issue. Nico had never heard of it happening to a demigod, but that didn't mean it was impossible. If the gradual diminish had begun at the end of last summer, there were multiple reasons his powers might disappear for a time. He'd gone to Tartarus, almost starved to death/suffocated at the hands of Giants, went to the House of Hades, and shadow traveled two people and a forty foot statue across the world. Any one of those things could have caused his Underworld side damage. _But,_ a nagging voice said, _that was nearly a year ago. Shouldn't everything be healed by now?_ It was true. Nico was better taken care of now because of Will than he had been since he was ten. If it was for any of those reasons, his powers should have already gone and been back by now. Unless it was a very, very slow process. That was the best Nico could hope for, he supposed.

He suddenly sensed something behind him. It wasn't an Underworld thing, Chiron was just a really good trainer. In fact, he probably would have noticed a lot sooner if he hadn't been so distracted. Nico's hand went to his belt but his sword was not there. He mentally cursed himself. Slowly, he began to turn around.

"It's alright,'' a voice said behind him. "It's just me.''

Then Nico really did consider running.

Reyna sat down beside him. Nico kept his expression neutral, but his hands tightened in his lap. Neither spoke for several minutes. Just when Nico thought the tension was going to tear him in two, Reyna said, "I _am_ sorry, Nico.''

Nico didn't look at her. His voice was tight when he spoke. "I don't want your apology.''

Reyna let out a breathy laugh. "Well, that's good. I hadn't finished.''

Nico might have been embarrassed, but he was too angry to feel anything else. He waited for Reyna to continue. When she didn't, he was forced to look at her. She smiled, her dark eyes dancing in a way that reminded him so much of Bianca it made him sick to his stomach.

"What I was going to say,'' Reyna began, "is that I'm sorry you're upset. That was never my intention. I love you, Nico. You probably won't appreciate this, but I think of you as a little brother.'' She paused, waiting for his reaction.

A comment like this would typically make Nico even more angry, but instead Nico just felt drained. He had exhausted his grief over Bianca long ago. Sometimes it all came rushing back, as raw and real as ever. Not right now though. Just a moment ago, being reminded of his lost sister, had cause Nico to feel ill. Now it made him want to lie down and never get back up. He was so goddamn tired of missing her. He was so goddamn tired of losing people.

Reyna continued when neither Nico's face nor his demeanor betrayed his feelings. "When I joined the Hunters, I did it for me. I wasn't thinking about anyone else. It was what felt like the right thing for _me_ to do _._ As praetor, I was never able to put myself first. It . . . it began to weigh heavily on my heart. I needed to get away from it all. Joining the Hunters was the only way, and I'm not going to apologize for doing what was best for me..''

Nico wanted to say that there was never only one way, but he knew it wasn't true. Whether or not it was in Reyna's case, however, was not for him to decide. He remained silent.

"But I never wanted to hurt you, Nico.'' Her voice softened. "I know how you feel about the Hunters of Artemis. Which is why when Hazel, Frank, and I came to Camp Half-Blood to deliver the new of Jason's passing, I requested to come in full Roman regalia. I know now this was dishonest and I shouldn't have tried to hide anything from you, least of all my new identity. But please try to understand that I was only trying to protect you from additional suffering. I didn't want to break you any more than we already had to.'' Tears glinted in Reyna's eyes and she finally looked away from him.

Nico let that sink in. It was true that Reyna shouldn't have kept her joining the Hunters from him. If Genna hadn't been hurt and the Hunters didn't have to crash in Camp Half-Blood, than he still wouldn't know. When had Reyna been planning to tell him? _Never, probably._ But Reyna was smarter than that, Nico tried to reason. She had to have known that hiding things from him was going to come back to bite her in the ass. It certainly had, in any case.

_It doesn't matter,_ realized Nico. None of it really mattered. Reyna had joined the Hunters for roughly the same reasons as Bianca. Most girls probably joined to escape some crushing weight from their shoulders. In Bianca's case it had been to get away from a life of never belonging, chasing around her baby brother, and hiding from monsters. In Reyna's case, the praetorship and all-consuming responsibility of running Camp Jupiter and half of New Rome at seventeen. Maybe that was the point of the Hunters of Artemis. Maybe it was immortality, a family, and a vow of eternal maidenhood in exchange for a miserable fate. When he thought of it like that, Nico didn't think it sounded so bad.

Reyna had joined the Hunters. There was nothing Nico could do but accept it and be happy for her. One thing, though —

"Are you happy?"

Reyna looked back at Nico, her eyes wide in surprise.

Nico managed a smile with great difficulty. "Come on. You didn't think I was really not gonna say anything, did you?''

A slow smile crept on Reyna's lips. "Nah. I was getting a littler nervous though.''

"So,'' Nico prompted, "are you happy, Reyna?"

Reyna's smile deepened and it reached her eyes and Nico knew it was going to be okay. "Yes. I am happy.''

Nico reached across her lap and squeezed her hand. "Then that's all that matters.''

Reyna's eyes shone and she squeezed his hand back. "Thank you, Nico.''

Nico inclined his head to her. He was letting go. He was letting Reynago. Although he had pretended to, Nico had never truly let Bianca go. He had never accepted that she was leaving him for the Hunters and, in doing so, had never let her go in death, in reincarnation, or even in present day. Nico suspected a part of him would always be haunted by Bianca. He could never let go of her. But that didn't mean he was going to make the same mistake with Reyna.

"Just, um,'' Nico choked a little on his emotion. "Just don't die, okay?"

Reyna reached out and tucked a long strand of dark hair behind Nico's ear. She kissed him softly on the cheek. "Wasn't planning on it.''

"You better not,'' said Nico, in a tone of mock severity.

Reyna laughed lightly. She wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders in a side-hug that would have been awkward if it had been anyone else. They remained staring into the peaceful forest in a comfortable silence for some time. Eventually, Reyna stood up and helped Nico to his feet. She glanced at the sky. "We should probably be getting back to Camp.''

Nico nodded. "I'm guessing you know the way?"

"You should too, but yeah, I know it.''

"I didn't say I didn't know it,'' Nico muttered.

Reyna smirked.

As they started back, Nico felt surprisingly light. With the Hunters' abrupt arrival, discovering Reyna had joined, and realizing he was losing his powers, the day had been quite the emotional roller coaster for Nico. Somehow though, he was okay. He was with Reyna and they were headed back to Camp. Will was at Camp, waiting for him. Nico couldn't believe that he and Will had been so intimate only that morning. It felt like a lifetime ago. Still, Nico was glad to be returning to him. He couldn't believe he'd ever considered leaving Camp Half-Blood.

"Oh!" Reyna said abruptly. "I forgot to tell you. Hazel was made the new praetor.''

"Seriously?" said Nico. "That's fantastic!" It really was. Hazel would be an amazing praetor. She deserved this. "I can't believe she didn't tell me.''

"She's so humble, you know,'' said Reyna. Then she looked a little guilty. "And she was probably also covering for me.''

Nico shrugged. Did that bother him? Yes. Was he going to let it get to him? No. Instead, he simply said, "Hazel's a good friend like that.''

Reyna agreed.

When the two of them finally reached Camp, the sun was beginning to dip below the trees. Will and Thalia were waiting for them at the edge of the forest a few yards from where Reyna and Nico emerged. They rushed over as soon as they saw them. Will threw his arms around Nico, crushing him against his chest.

"Gods, Nico,'' Will whispered. "I was so worried.''

Guilt crept into Nico's gut. "Sorry. I got kind of turned around. I didn't mean to go so deep in the woods.''

"You were gone for _hours._ ''

"Yeah.'' Nico felt worse. "I'm sorry.''

Will pulled away from Nico and tried his best to look angry. He was so relieved though that all he could manage was a frown. Nico found it all very endearing and cute and he got up on his toes to kiss Will on the mouth.

"PDA!" Thalia chided. She turned to Reyna. "Hey.''

"What's up?" said Reyna.

Hunters were excellent trackers so Thalia had had no worries about Reyna's safety in the Camp boundaries. Nico suspected she had tried convincing Will that Nico was alright too, but Will would have ignored her like a proper boyfriend and been worried out of his mind. Nico wasn't sure if that made him feel better or not.

"Not much,'' said Thalia, in reply to Reyna's question. "Glad you're back in time for dinner.''

"Yes." Will glared at Nico, this time managing to look very angry indeed. "Death Boy here hasn't eaten all day.''

"Nico!" Reyna scolded.

Nico held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, sorry! I was kind of distracted. _I can't wait for dinner."_ In truth, Nico could totally wait. The events of the day had made him feel rather sick. He wasn't sure how much more his stomach could take. He did not fancy throwing up in front of the entire Camp Half-Blood and half the Hunters of Artemis.

"How's Genna?" Reyna asked.

"She's doing just fine.'' Thalia shot Will a rare approving glance. "He's good, for a boy.''

"Thanks?" Will said.

Reyna patted his shoulder. "He's a keeper, Nico.'' She leaned towards Nico and stage-whispered. "Don't let him out of your sight.''

Nico grinned. "Wasn't planning on it,'' he assured her and winked at Will.

It wasn't until they were all heading towards the dining pavilion that Nico realized that Reyna had just been joking around. "Reyna Ramirez-Arellano" and "joking around" were not two phrases Nico ever thought would be used in a sentence together. Now that he thought of it, Reyna seemed more light-hearted than he'd ever seen her. It was because she was a Hunter. The crushing weight of her responsibilities at Camp Jupiter was finally lifted from her shoulders. She had always shouldered her burden well, but Reyna _was_ only a teenager. She never should have had so much to do in the first place.

Nico was suddenly certain that this was the right thing for Reyna. Becoming a Hunter was her destiny. She was happy and carefree for once. She would hopefully stay that way until the end of time. Becoming a Hunter had not worked out well for Bianca, but that didn't mean Reyna wouldn't be okay. Nico had lost his sister to the Hunters, and for that he might never completely forgive them, but he thought he finally did understand how they could be good for some. Reyna had found happiness with the Hunters, the same as Nico had found happiness (or at least something close) with Will. Nico couldn't resent her for that. He _wouldn't_ resent her for that.

Thalia and Reyna walked a little ahead of the boys, either to assert their dominance as females or some other reason (unlikely). Nico was happy to hang back, strolling leisurely with Will by his side. Will laced his fingers with Nico's as they walked. He gently bumped him with his hip. "So is everything good between you and Reyna?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. We're cool.''

Will paused. When he spoke again, it was in a much softer voice. "I was really worried when you ran off. I know . . . I know things have been hard for you these last couple months. I thought maybe — you know, since you . . . don't like the Hunter of Artemis — maybe Reyna joining had sent you over the edge.''

"You thought I'd left Camp for good,'' Nico guessed.

Will said nothing. His silence was as good of an answer as any.

Nico decided not mention he had considered fleeing. Or that he was losing his powers and things were bound to get worse before they got better — if they ever got better, thought Nico dismally. Instead, he squeezed Will's hand. "I would never leave you.'' That at least was true.

Will brought Nico's hand up to kiss it. "I love you, have I mentioned that today?''

"Once or twice.''

Will's blue eyes twinkled. He smiled. Nico was hit with another overwhelming wave of affection. How long had it been since they slept together? Nine hours? Gods, Nico wanted to do it again. It had been a long day though. Nico's feet were sore from all the walking he'd done and he was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Maybe tonight he would just snuggle up with Will. He was secretly rather fond of cuddling.

The Hunters, except Genna, were at the dining pavilion. Some sat at Artemis's honorary table, while others went from table to table trying to recruit every girl at Camp. Chiara, daughter of Tyche, gave one Hunter a disgusted look as she approached her table. Her boyfriend Damien White was glaring daggers at the girl, who rolled her eyes and sat down by Chiara anyway. Nico could almost hear the Hunter go off on a tangent about how Chiara didn't need a "possessive male" to complete her.

Reyna and Thalia sat at the Apollo table with Nico and Will, plus Kayla and Austin, so they could discuss said mortal god. Neither girls had seen Apollo in the weeks since Reyna joined the Hunters. Though they were kind enough to reassure Will that Apollo had been perfectly fine the last time they encountered him. Nico had noticed Will had been more agitated about his dad since Jason's death. Will had privately fretted to Nico that he was worried Apollo blamed himself for Jason's cruel fate. Nico had not mentioned that Jason's sacrifice _was_ a direct result of Apollo's visit to Los Angeles. As the girls and Will talked, Nico remembered when Apollo had come to Camp Half-Blood. Having been newly chucked from Olympus, he had expected the demigods to happily sacrifice themselves defending him. Nico wondered how Apollo had actually felt when Jason died. The darker part of Nico hoped it had hurt.

After Chiron addressed the pavilion and informed the campers of the Hunters visit — like anyone could have missed it — and they had exhausted the topic of the mortal god, Thalia directly addressed Kayla. Austin and Kayla had both remained quiet for the majority of dinner.

"It's Kayla, isn't it?" Thalia began casually. She didn't wait for a response before continuing. "I couldn't help but notice you training earlier. Your skill with a bow is really quite amazing.''

"Oh.'' Kayla's cheeks turned pink. "Uh, thanks.''

"The daughter of Apollo,'' Thalia mused. "Lady Artemis is your aunt, you know? And a girl with your talent . . . Well, the Hunters have been looking for new recruits recently.''

_You always are,_ thought Nico.

"You would be a perfect candidate,'' Thalia finished. "We'd love to have you join the Hunt.''

Kayla looked shocked at the offer. Will and Austin exchanged a horrified glance. Nico had been expecting this all evening. Thalia was right, Kayla was a perfect candidate. Still, Nico was relieved when Kayla managed to speak.

"I—I'm honored,'' Kayla managed. "Truly. But Camp Half-Blood is my home. I don't think I'm ready to leave. Maybe some other time?"

Thalia shrugged, looking a little disappointed. "Very well. You are still young.'' She fished a business card out of her jacket pocket and handed it to Kayla. "Here. Now if you ever change your mind, you know who to call.''

"Thanks,'' said Kayla weakly.

Will and Austin both relaxed. They both loved their younger sister immensely. Nico himself would be sorry to see Kayla leave Camp. Luckily though, it didn't seem to be happening anytime soon. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Kayla crumple the card under the table. He repressed a smile.

That night, Nico lay awake, watching Will's chest rise and fall with steady breaths. He was curled against him, cuddled up under the blankets. Nico was tired, but he couldn't sleep. He thought of Reyna, asleep in the Artemis Cabin. He thought of Hazel, far off in California, asleep in the Pluto Cabin at Camp Jupiter. Or maybe the Mars Cabin . . . Nico quickly dismissed the thought. Nico thought of his father. Did gods sleep? He doubted they needed to. But was Hades too asleep somewhere far off? Nico briefly pictured him in his bedroom in the Underworld Palace. He wondered if Persephone was sleeping with Hades or away that night. Her moods tended to change. It was almost Summer, so she would also be preparing to return to Olympus. Anyway, there was no other place Nico would rather be.

The Hunters left the next morning. Genna had made an excellent recovery. Will told Nico several times he had never seen anything like it. Chiron, Nico, Will, and a handful of other campers gathered on Half-Blood Hill to see the Hunters off.

Genna, who was looking remarkably better, graciously thanked Will. Thalia thanked Chiron for his hospitality. Reyna hugged Nico.

"Don't be a stranger,'' she told him. "If you ever need anything, anything at all—"

"Yeah,'' said Nico. "I know. Thanks.''

She kissed his cheek and went to join the other Hunters. Nico noticed Thalia eying the pine tree, Golden Fleece, and its guardian dragon Peleus suspiciously. Nico smiled to himself.

Nico watched the Hunters of Artemis vanish into the wilderness. He was going to miss Reyna, it was true. Visiting Camp Jupiter would never feel the same without her. But deep down Nico was happy for her. This was what Reyna wanted and it was what she deserved.

Nico's hand found Will's. Will shot him a sideways glance. "Everything okay?"

It wasn't really. Reyna's visit had unearthed multiple new problems Nico was going to have to deal with. That didn't mean he had to deal with them right then though. "Yeah. Everything's okay.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyy, sorry 'bout the sheer density of this one. It was a bit of a mess to write and idk how it turned out, especially the ending. . .  
> Thank you for reading, as always! I love feedback, so comment your thoughts, questions, concerns, etc.! Or not :)   
> \- Love, Rosalie


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to Hadestown the musical while writing this because I think I'm funny.

The end of May was approaching quickly. The last week of it was spent rushing around making final preparations for the fast-approaching arrival of the summer campers. Nico didn't get why it was such a big deal; there were already campers and in a week there were going to be a couple dozen more campers. He supposed the others were just excited to see some new and familiar faces. It would be nice to see Percy and Annabeth again, Nico thought. And hopefully Piper and Leo would come back too, although it was unlikely.

Despite everything, Nico wasn't excited. Since realizing his powers were depleting, they seemed to have disappeared completely. Nico still hadn't told anyone about it yet. Not even Will. It _could_ have been a coincidence that as soon as Nico realized what was happening his powers left him altogether. But Nico didn't think it was likely. That meant whatever the source of the issue was knew Nico was aware of the problem. Which meant it was an intelligent being. The only explanation for _that_ was that it was his dad fucking with him. Nico wasn't even angry. He wasn't really hurt either. He just felt put out. Exhausted.

Would telling Will help? Yes, probably. Will was busy enough as it was though. He and Nico had spent the last couple days in the infirmary making sure they had enough of everything for the multitude of campers arriving the next week. Will, as head counselor of Cabin 7, was also sprucing up Apollo's cabin for the new arrivals. Nico helped he, Kayla, and Austin put fresh sheets on all the bunks. The harpies had washed the sheets, but it was up to them to make the beds. The harpies had enough to do already, and Apollo had the most kids at Camp during the winter anyway, so the harpies figured they could just do the work themselves.

"Hey, Neeks!''

Nico snapped out of his thoughts just as a pillow smacked him in the face. "Ow,'' he muttered, although it hadn't hurt.

"Sorry,'' said Will, stifling a laugh.

Nico rolled his eyes and picked up the pillow. He tossed it on the bunk he had just finished putting sheets on.

"This is just a suggestion, Nico,'' Austin began, "but maybe don't—"

Nico glared at Austin, who promptly shut up.

Will crossed over to Nico and propped an elbow on his shoulder. "Someone's cranky today.''

"He's always cranky,'' Kayla said cheerfully.

"Am not,'' grumbled Nico. He shrugged Will off. Before he could pull away completely, Will had his arms wrapped around Nico's waist and kissed him on the cheek. Nico hissed and jerked away. He really didn't feel like it today.

Hurt briefly flashed across Will's face, quickly replaced by confusion. "Wow, you're really not in a good mood,'' he murmured, almost to himself. Then, louder, "Everything okay?"

"Yes,'' Nico snapped.

Will didn't look convinced. _Of course not, he knows me better than that. Maybe I should tell him the truth._ Nico forced the thought down. Losing his Underworld powers was not something Will would be sympathetic about. Well, he'd probably try because he was Will, but he wouldn't _really_ care. Will despised it when Nico Shadowtraveled or summoned skeletons or did anything Underworld related. He claimed it was because it was dangerous for Nico, but sometimes Nico wondered if it didn't unnerve Will. Or disgust him in some way. Will was the son of Apollo. Apollo was the god of poetry, healing, music. Good things, beautiful things. Apollo was the god of light. And Nico was the son of Hades. God of the Underworld, of death and darkness.

Nico suddenly needed to get away. Away from Cabin 7 and the sweet smell of Hyacinths, away from Kayla and Austin, _away from Will._ He abruptly turned on his heel and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Will called after him.

Nico didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. There was nothing. He loved Will. He really did. But there were differences between them. Ones that Nico might not be able to overcome, no matter how much he might want to.

Nico half-expected Will to follow him and demand an explanation for his even-weirder-than-normal behavior. He didn't. Nico almost wished he did.

The campers were almost all outside. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. Nico ignored them all and strode towards Cabin 13. He knew what he was going to have to do. Nico had had to handle a lot of things that spring. There was nothing he could do about most of them. Losing his powers, however . . . There was something he could do about that. And he was going to do it.

When he arrived at his cabin, Nico was breathing hard and his heart was pounding in his chest. It wasn't because the walk between Cabins 7 and 13 was far, or even particularly strenuous. It was neither of those things. Nico was scared. Scared and nervous. He had a bad feeling about what he was going to do, and it had nothing to do with his Underworld powers or lack thereof.

Nico took a deep breath. He looked around his cabin. Because it was not yet midday, the sun had not moved to the appropriate degree, so it would be difficult to find—

There.

Where one curtain was drawn back from the window, a shadow was cast down the wall below it. The shadow touched the floor and spread for maybe one foot squared. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Nico. He inched closer to it, until his toes were a centimeter from the shadow's edge. He sighed and ran a hand through his black hair, which now fell to his chin.

"Dad,'' Nico said, "if this is all you, then you know exactly what I'm about to do. If this isn't you, then it won't work. Either way, please . . . Please help me out.''

Nico stepped into the shadow and vanished.

* * *

Shadowtraveling always gave Nico an unpleasantly large dose of vertigo. It had been so long since he had attempted it, he'd nearly forgotten the feeling of his stomach plummeting as he became shadows. Nico rematerialized in a dim ally, staggering forward. He caught himself on a wall. He took a deep breath in through his nose, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Once it did, he straightened and looked around. Nico was in a narrow ally. Shadows cast from the tall stone buildings spread across the ground. Garbage cans were lined up on the sides of either buildings. Nico was grateful he hadn't ended up in one of those. He was pretty sure that was where Apollo had landed when Zeus cast him from Olympus.

Despite the numerous garbage cans, trash was still littered on the ground. The sight was not pleasant. Nico wrinkled his nose at the foul smell. He would have assumed he went straight to one of the nicer parts of the Fields of Punishment, if it weren't for the sun. Above him, the sun was high and blazing. He could _feel_ the heat on his skin. Sweat began to prickle on his neck. His shirt was already beginning to stick to his back. Nico squinted up at it. He wasn't a huge fan of heat or the sun. The children of Apollo, however . . .

He shook himself. _Stay focused._

Nico began walking towards the street. There appeared to be a traffic jam, stagnant cars with angry people leaning out the windows yelling obscenities at the drivers in front of them. With the din of cars honking and people yelling, the multitude of close buildings, and the visible pollution in the air, Nico knew exactly what city he was in. As he started down the sidewalk of Valencia Boulevard, Nico wondered why he couldn't have just Shadowtraveled straight to his father's palace instead of the mortal entrance to the Underworld in Los Angeles.

DOA Recording Studios was three doors down from the ally where Nico emerged. He'd been to the black marble building once or twice before, but as a general rule he avoided it. Shadowtravel was the easiest way to enter the Underworld. He supposed he was lucky he was able to Shadowtravel at all. He wondered if he would even be able to get back to Camp Half-Blood. Nico suspected he wouldn't have been able to Shadowtravel if he hadn't prayed to his father for help. That only solidified his thoughts that losing his powers was all Hades' doing.

Nico pushed the lobby door open. As always, it was full of people. The furniture was black leather, the carpet and walls steel gray. A bittersweet, vaguely familiar song played softly. Nobody looked at Nico when he walked in, despite the fact that he was the only living thing in the crowded room. But the dead had never bothered Nico. He strode confidently up to the raised security desk, cutting in front of the dead waiting in line. A tall man in a black suit with sunglasses stared down at him.

"Hello, Charon,'' said Nico.

The security guard leaned forward, examining Nico. "You're not dead.''

Nico smiled mirthlessly. "No. I am not dead.''

Charon grunted. "Get out, then.''

"Mm. I don't think so. I need passage to the Underworld.''

"If you're a godling looking to bribe me to get down there for your silly little quest—"

_He's out of the loop,_ thought Nico. "I am a godling, but I'm not here on a quest. It's a family matter.''

"Did you lose someone, kid? Because we don't allow visitors . . . Ah, wait. You're Hades' runt, aren't you?"

Normally, no one under his father's realm would dare call Nico di Angelo "Hades' runt". Typically he was referred to as "the son of Lord Hades'' or more simply "Death's child.'' Once a palace god had called Nico "Hades junior" which neither the god or the demigod had appreciated. But, in Charon's defense, he had the literal worst job ever.

"I am,'' said Nico. "And my father has requested my presence.''

That last part was not necessarily true, but Nico assumed it was at least close to the truth.

Charon shrugged. If he had eyes behind his sunglasses, Nico suspected he would have rolled them. "Fine. I'll take you down with the next group.''

"Thank you.'' Nico went to stand by the elevator. He was attracting lots of odd looks now. It was nothing new. He was from the world of the dead when above and the world of the living when below. He would always be a bit of an outcast on both sides of his life. Nico had come to terms with it though. As long as a few good people didn't see him that way, he could tolerate the majority's opinion.

The music was louder by the elevator. Nico couldn't see where it was coming from; the speakers were hidden. But he could make out the words:

_Maybe we got lost in translation_

_Maybe I asked for too much_

_But maybe this thing was a masterpiece_

_'Til you tore it all up_

_Running scared, I was there_

_I remember it all too well_

A shiver ran down Nico's spine, despite the heat of the day.

Charon was suddenly in front of Nico, a cluster of dead souls around him. "You coming?'' He grunted.

Nico wordlessly boarded the elevator. Everyone else had green boarding passes, except Nico, who wasn't given one. It didn't seem to matter. As the son of Hades, Nico was granted free passage anywhere in the Underworld. The only place he hadn't wandered was the Fields of Punishment; he could hear the screams of the damned just fine from virtually anywhere else anyway.

As the elevator began its descent, Nico wondered how long it would take him to get to Hades' palace. Hopefully not too long. He didn't want to be gone from Camp all night. He was already starting to feel guilty for ditching out on Will and the others. He could have at least left a note. Nico hoped Will wouldn't jump to conclusions on where Nico had gone. Only a week before Will was nervous about Nico leaving Camp Half-Blood for good. _Shit._ Nico cursed himself. He really should have left a note.

The elevator jolted to a stop. Nico and the dead followed Charon out. Nico's breath caught in his throat at the familiar sights. It had been so long since he had been in the Underworld. It made him feel not exactly homesick, but definitely nostalgic. Nico had been there enough times to remember most things, but he had forgotten how dark it was. The sun did not reach the Underworld. He tried to pictured Will there. Will was the opposite of this place. Will was all things bright and beautiful, inspiring hope and radiating love and administrating healing. Being in a place like the Underworld would choke the life out of him. Nico tried not to think about how he was of the Underworld. How he was the opposite of Will. It wasn't something he hadn't thought of before, but the it felt much more significant in a place of such total darkness. They really were polar opposites. Nico wondered how he could love someone so different so much.

Charon lead them to the boats. Nico was not a fan of the pitch-black water of the River Styx. He scooted to the front of his boat, while several dead souls clambered on behind him. The boat rocked precariously and Nico gripped the sides so hard his knuckles whitened against the wood.

As the boat slid soundlessly through the still water, Nico thought of Percy Jackson. He knew that Percy had come here with Annabeth and Grover when he was twelve. The only way for a mortal who wasn't a child of Hades to enter the Underworld was through the DOA Recording Studios. So Percy, Annabeth, and Grover had to have come this way too. Nico wondered how Percy had felt about the dark, lifeless water. Maybe he had been too worried about meeting Hades to care. Then Nico thought of the time a couple years ago, right before the end of the Titan War, when Nico had taken Percy to bathe in the River. And betrayed him. Nico cringed at the memory. _Yeah. Fun times._

After what felt like hours, the boat finally banked on the craggy shoreline. Nico was first out, almost falling on the black sand. Charon barked a laugh. Nico glared at him. The dead started towards their place of judgement, and Nico started towards his own reckoning.

He walked fast. Nico had taken the time to explore everything when he was eleven. He had no care of what went on in the Underworld now. Nico did pause to give Cerberus a scratch behind the ears and throw a red rubber ball (where had that even come from?) to him. He passed the vast cavern that contained the Fields of Asphodel. Nico vividly remembered the hours spent searching for Hazel after Hades had offered to bring her back when the Doors of Death were opened. The vacant expressions of the dead faces as they trudged across the already trampled black grass was a little too familiar. Nico suddenly wanted to leave. He wanted to be back at Camp. Under the sun. With Will.

In the distance, the Fields of Punishment smoked and glowed like a volcanic wasteland. Nico heard the faint screams of the tortured. He shuddered. What had those people done to deserve the punishments his father inflicted? Terrible things, he knew. Unspeakable things. They were now damned to suffer terrible and unspeakable things for all eternity. Did anyone really deserve that?

Nico mentally shook himself. Why did he care all of a sudden about the souls of the damned? Hades was a fair judge. Nico knew those in the Fields of Punishment were getting what they deserved for their sins. Still, the tortured cries bothered Nico like they never had before.

The relief when Elysium came into view was palpable. Nico watched the happy children chase each other through the rippling grass and golden flowers. The brights villas and resort-like homes made it look like something out of a fairytale. Nico couldn't see where it was coming from, but he heard joyful laughter. The three small islands in the sparkling blue lake shone like beacons. They were the Isles of the Blest. Nico knew the story: If one chose to be reborn three times, and in each life achieved Elysium, then they go to the Isles of the Blest, the highest honor in the Underworld. Bianca had been reborn for that purpose. That meant Nico could never visit her in Underworld again. He tried not to resent her, and it was easier when he saw how wonderful the Isles of the Blest were. He hoped her second and third lives were longer and happier than her first.

Nico walked several more miles before the palace came into view. It was almost a welcome sight after walking so long in the desolate dark land. The palace was made completely of obsidian stone, glittering with a cold light on the horizon. Above it the Furies circled like vultures.

"Home sweet home,'' Nico muttered, although there was no one there to hear him.

Hades' palace was fortressed in with black walls and a two-story bronze gate. Nico's first thought was that there was way too much black in the Underworld, which was really something coming from him. His second thought was that the gate was closed. He stopped in front of it. The gate was never closed. For some reason Nico had never understood, Hades insisted on keeping the entrance to his palace wide open. It kind of made the whole fortress thing pointless, Nico had always thought. But now that the gates were closed, Nico thought it was wrong. Why had Hades done that? Nico inwardly groaned. He was starting to doubt whether Hades had actually been trying to get his attention. If he'd really wanted Nico to come to the Underworld, why was he making it so damn difficult?

Nico ran a hand down the bronze surface of the gate. He glanced over the engraved scenes of death. He'd examined those plenty when he was younger. He wondered if Hazel would have been able to open the gate. But Hazel hadn't been to the Underworld since she went through the Doors of Death. Maybe her precious metal powers didn't work in the Underworld. _Wait._ Nico's powers worked in the Underworld. And he had been able to Shadowtravel to Los Angeles. He could just Shadotravel into Hades throne room.

Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprising, Nico's powers were completely gone now. It was hard enough to find a decent shadow without any sunlight, but the Underworld still had artificial light sources. Nico had to walk several yards around walls find shadow. When he stepped into it, nothing happened, crushing all hope. If his powers didn't work at all in the Underworld, there was no chance they would in the mortal world either. Nico cursed in Ancient Greek and headed back to the gate.

Nico had come too far to give up now. He would not be stopped by a stupid two-story tall bronze gate.

The gate was made of smooth bronze slabs. There was no chance Nico could get over it. So he began walking in the opposite direction of the way he'd gone to attempt Shadowtravel. The black walls appeared to be made out of one single piece of material, though that would have been impossible, maybe even for gods. If Nico remembered correctly, there should be another gate . . . _There._

There was a smaller bronze gate, one that always remained closed. It was maybe twenty feet tall, made of narrow bronze rods. The rods were crisscrossed, spaced about a foot apart. Through them, Nico could see the garden. He smiled. Then he began to climb.

Nico carefully placed his hands on each slick rod. His footing was less precise, but if he were to slip he knew he could hold on. He looked down when he was about fifteen feet up. The view of the ground below made him slightly dizzy. He wondered if a fall from this height would be fatal. Nico climbed the last five feet and swung his legs over the top, thanking the gods that Hades hadn't decided the top of the gate should have bronze spikes or some shit decorating it. Climbing down was more stressful. Nico's hands had begun to sweat, sliding precariously on the bronze. Despite his efforts, he couldn't see where he was putting his feet. Painfully slow, he finally made it down until he had just a few feet left, and jumped. He landed gingerly on his feet and let out a breath. That was the hard part. Now he just had to get through the garden of Persephone.

Nico had always tried to avoid Persephone. She didn't like him much, jealous of Hades' affair with Maria di Angelo. Nico didn't like her either. He felt sorry for her, kidnapped by Hades to be his wife. Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, and she was trapped in the Underworld for more than half of every year. Despite her constant complaints though, Nico suspected she did care for Hades. And Hades had never mistreated her — except for the whole kidnapping and damnation part. Also, Nico had only been kept alive when the giants captured him by eating pomegranate seeds from Persephone's garden. So he felt he owed her.

The garden _was_ beautiful though. There was no sunlight for the plants, but mushrooms of every color, poisonous barbed shrubs, glowing bulbs of some strange flower, and many other bizarre but alluring plants grew. Garden statues — courtesy of Medusa — decorated the spaces in between plants. Nico weaved through the curling purple vines and blood-red coconut trees. The garden's centerpiece was the orchard of pomegranates. Nico tried not to look at the bright orange flowers on the trees. It reminded him too much of the bronze jar the giants had kept him in. Most people would get the urge to eat Persephone's pomegranates when the overwhelming smell hit them, but Nico was long over it. He knew better than to eat Underworld food.

"Nico di Angelo.''

Nico spin around. Persephone had crept up behind him. She had her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. She wore a long sleeveless red dress. Her long dark hair spilled down her back and milky-white shoulders.

"Persephone,'' said Nico. He dipped his head in a slight bow. He fought to appear calm, but his heart was pounding against his breastbone.

"I haven't seen you around here in quite some time,'' said Persephone icily.

"I've been busy.'' Nico smiled. "Miss me?"

Persephone snorted. "Hardly.''

"It's almost June,'' said Nico, without thinking, "shouldn't you be back on Olympus?"

The look that crossed Persephone's face would have vaporized a mortal. "Yes,'' she snapped, "I should be!''

"Well, spring's past and it's almost summer up there. Where've you been?" Nico knew he was speaking out of turn, but curiosity won over.

Persephone sniffed. "Life goes on, I suppose.''

"Okay . . ." Nico hadn't been aware that the myth of Persephone and the seasons was just that — a myth. Or maybe Demeter was compensating for her daughter. "Did Hades not let you back this year?''

Persephone's gaze dropped. "N-no, not exactly. He's . . . Hades has tried his best to let me go back, but it appears I'm trapped. He's trapped. We can't leave the Underworld.''

"That sucks,'' said Nico. With Persephone it was best to be sympathetic and keep things simple. Nico dearly hoped Hades hadn't tried to summon Nico for a quest to break him and Hades out of their home that had become their prison. "The gates are closed. Are you two trapped in the palace?"

Persephone shook her head. She looked remarkably sad. "No. We're not trapped here. But we can't leave either.''

This made no sense. Nico wasn't going to tell Persephone that. "I got in by climbing the gate to your garden.''

"I wondered how you accomplished entry,'' the goddess muttered bitterly. "But we're not trying to get out . . . Agh, it's so complicated. Go talk to your father, boy. He's been waiting for you.'' Without waiting for Nico's response, Persephone whirled around and disappeared into her pomegranate orchard.

Nico took a deep breath. That had been odd, even for Persephone. Nico had more questions than ever, but now he knew one thing for sure: Hades had summoned Nico on purpose. He had taken his powers and fucked with his life.

Nico stormed up the palace stairs. Past the marble columns, past the bronze entry hall, past the side doorways guided by Hades' skeleton army. The guards all turned to look at Nico, no doubt surprised to see him again after so long. Nico was dimly surprised to see them too. He knew several by name. It was convenient that they all recognized Nico as their master's son, because none of them made a move to stop him as he strode through the palace.

Nico got to the end of the hall and, without slowing down, pushed open the double-doors to the throne room.

Hades looked up. He was seated on his throne, which was made of bones fused together. Ten feet tall, pale, dark-haired, thin, and elegant, he radiated the power of a god. When he saw Nico, Hades leaned forward, a slow smile spreading across his face. One that warned _danger_. "Ah, my son. You've come at last.''

Nico stopped front of him. He lifted his chin defiantly. "Hello, father.''


	10. Chapter 10

Hades was a force to be reckoned with.

Nearly all mortals and most immortals feared the god of the Underworld. Other than the whole Lord of the Dead thing, Nico couldn't really see why. Like all gods, Hades was about ten feet tall. His skin was as pale as Persephone's, an attribute to the lack of sunlight in the Underworld. His hair was black and fell to his shoulders. His body was angular, thin and elegant, like a thing from the past.

 _He looks like me._ The thought struck Nico like a slap in the face. _Although I ought to be taller._

Hades stood up from his throne, and shrunk to the size of a regular mortal. He approached Nico, his black silk robes swishing around him. He placed a pale hand on Nico's shoulder. Nico could feel the chill of Hades' skin through his t-shirt. He suppressed a shudder. Hades was still smiling that dangerous smile. Maybe Nico did understand a little why the god was feared.

"My son,'' said Hades again. His voice echoed throughout the room. "It is good to see you. You look well.''

He sounded sincere. It unnerved Nico. Skipping the pleasantries, he asked, "What do you mean I've come at last? How did you know I would be arriving?" Nico knew the answer. But he wanted to hear it directly from his father.

"I've been unable to contact you directly, so I took more extreme measures to get your attention,'' Hades said without further explanation.

"You took my powers,'' said Nico through gritted teeth. "The powers _you_ gave me!"

"I didn't give them to you, boy. They were inherited.''

Anger bubbled up inside Nico. He shrugged Hades' hand off, which was a very stupid thing to do. Hades didn't vaporize him though. He had the nerve to look actually amused. He raised a jet-black eyebrow at Nico like he was misbehaving a child. Nico was not deterred. "You had _no right_ to do that,'' he hissed.

"Perhaps not,'' Hades replied. "But I did, and you came, just as I intended.'' His voice was unconcerned. It was as if he didn't know the anguish he'd caused his son.

Hurt lanced through Nico's chest. He struggled to keep it off his face. He struggled to remain angry. "Why?" He demanded.

"I already said it was to contact you. And because nothing else got your attention.''

"'Nothing else?'" Nico suddenly felt cold. "What else did you try?"

"Let's see,'' Hades cocked his head, as if trying to remember the specifics of his orchestrated torments. Sometimes Nico forgot Hades designed the Fields of Punishment. "Small things, mostly. First I started taking your powers little by little, but you didn't notice because your sunny little boyfriend wouldn't let you use them anyway.''

Nico blanched. So Hades _did_ know about Will. He didn't seem to care though. There was no malice in his voice when he mentioned him. Nico didn't know why he himself cared whether or not his dad approved, but he couldn't pretend like he didn't.

"I sent you some particularly gruesome nightmares,'' Hades continued conversationally, "although I must not have tried hard enough, because you thought they were of the ordinary type.''

_Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you._

"Then, my personal favorite, I sent an old demon to your camp to wreak some havoc. It returned to Tartarus only a few days later though, claiming you slew it. Well done.''

Nico's jaw dropped. "You _what? Dad._ That thing almost _killed_ several of my friends.''

Hades shook his head. "No, no. I gave it specific instructions to poison and maim, not kill.''

"Poison and—'' Nico was seething. "I can't believe you.'' Travis, Katie, and Cecil had almost died. _He_ could have died, if it weren't for Will!

"And then I decided to take your powers completely, which worked like a charm. Although I did allow you to Shadowtravel here.'' Hades finished. He looked quite please with himself.

"I didn't even Shadowtravel _here!''_ Nico's voice rose. "I had to come down through that goddamn recording studio!"

Hades frowned. "My mistake. I was multitasking at the time, you know, damning souls is consuming work.''

"Okay.'' Nico tried to calm himself down. Getting angry was not going to help anything. "Okay, okay. I'm here. Congratulations. Your mindfuckery worked. Now _what do you want?"_

Hades' chilling smile returned. "What do _I_ want? To talk to my son.''

It took Nico a moment to realize he was serious. "That's it?" He spat. " _That's_ why you tried to ruin to my life?"

Hades regarded him thoughtfully. "On the contrary, my son—"

"Stop calling me that!" Nico snapped. He hadn't thought it was possible to be this angry. Or, more accurately, he'd forgotten. Maybe Will had influenced him more than he thought. He hadn't felt this bitter, this resentful, since before Will came into his life. He was afraid of it and he welcomed it. He wanted to fight it and embrace it. Nico was a mess of contradictions without Will. And here he was, in the Underworld, the place without the sun, arguing with his jackass dad who had the nerve to call him son. Nico suddenly wanted to be anywhere else in the world. He wanted to be back at Camp. He wanted to be with Will, getting ready for the summer campers. He wanted to immerse himself in the excitement and anticipation of the arrival of new friends and the return of old ones.

"Nico,'' said Hades, and reality caved in on itself around Nico. _Nico. My son._ They were one and the same to Hades. Whether he liked it or not, Nico was Hades' son. Hades was Nico's father.

Nico was the son of Hades.

"Father,'' he said, and it was enough.

"I never intended to ruin your life, Nico. I do not believe I have done so. As I told you some time ago; with little exception, my children hardly ever achieve happiness. I want you to be that exception. I want you to be happy.'' Hades placed his hand on Nico's shoulder again. This time, Nico didn't shrug it off. "For reasons I am unable to explain to you at this time, the gods must remain silent. We must distance ourselves from mortals for now. Artemis has attempted to commune with her Hunters, thought I don't know if she was successful or not. I have attempted to vie for your attention.'' He smiled coyly. "And I have succeeded.''

 _But why?_ Nico wanted to ask. He held his tongue and listened as Hades continued.

"I cannot see everything that goes on in your life. But I've seen enough. You, Nico, are so close to the happiness you deserve. That other boy, Apollo's son?"

Nico stiffened.

Hades chuckled. It was such a shocking thing to be coming from the god of the Underworld, Nico momentarily forgot to be surprised at his boyfriend's mention. "I've watched you two,'' said Hades. Nico hoped this didn't mean his dad had seen their, ah, more _intimate_ moments _._ "I think he really cares about you. And I think you really care about him. Correct me if I'm wrong.''

"You are not.'' Nico was surprised by the relief speaking those words brought him.

"I am no god of love,'' Hades continued. "Nor do I appear to be the god of anything good or beautiful. I am the god of the Underworld. But you must remember, my son. Elysium, the place of eternal peace, is part of the Underworld too. And just as I plan the tortures of the Fields of Punishment, I plan the rewards of Elysium.''

Nico had never thought of it that way. He wondered if anyone ever had. He remembered how joyful the souls in Elysium had looked. Hades had orchestrated that? It was hard to believe, Nico admitted to himself. But so were many things. And unbelievable was not the same as impossible.

"I want you to be happy, Nico,'' Hades repeated. "This boy . . . Will. He makes you happy. So I urge you to put your differences behind you. Make amends.

_Let go.''_

The silence of the throne room was a distinct noise in of itself. It filled the space between Nico and Hades.

"Yes, Father.'' Nico's voice was quiet, but firm.

Hades nodded. "Difficult times approach, I must warn you. The fallen god Apollo will soon need your help. You must rise to the occasion. Be the hero I know you are. And remember,'' Hades finally removed his hand from Nico's shoulder. He stepped back, but his molten eyes never left Nico's face, "you are not alone.''

Nico felt as if he had just been hit by a tidal wave. So many questions raced through his mind. Apollo needed _him?_ Whatever for? How did Hades know? And emotions flooded him as well. Things his father had said. What would happen to Hades if Zeus found out he had tipped Nico off? Nico wasn't sure why he cared, but he did know one thing: He would not tell a living soul. Not even Will. He would be ready for Apollo. He would also not be the reason Hades suffered Zeus's wrath.

"That is all I needed to tell you,'' said Hades. He drew himself up, suddenly ten feet tall again, towering over Nico. "You are dismissed.''

Nico watched as Hades turned and exited through a side door. Nico was now alone in the throne room. Hades's dark throne and Persephone's golden one beside it were the only other things in the room. _You are not alone_ Hades had said before leaving Nico by himself. Nico smiled in spite of himself. He knew what Hades had meant, but the irony was worth appreciation.

Nico exhaled. He started towards the throne room entrance. His eyes caught on a lovely shadow the lit braziers on the wall and the double-doors created. He couldn't explain how he knew, but somehow Nico had no doubt his powers had fully returned. Still, Nico didn't Shadowtravel away. Returning to Camp would be as easy as stepping into a shadow. And yet, he didn't attempt it. Not yet.

There was one more place he needed to go.

* * *

Nico hadn't been to Elysium since before Bianca was reincarnated. It brought waves of nostalgia over him, ones so strong he had to stop to catch his breath several times. Nico was surprised the security ghouls let him enter Elysium at all. It was the one place in the Underworld he felt like he shouldn't be allowed. But security let him in to visit Bianca years ago, and they let him in again now. It wasn't that Nico didn't _deserve_ to walk through Elysium. He didn't consider himself _that_ bad. It was that he felt like he killed the happy vibe.

He walked through streets lined with suburban-esque homes, rainbow grass waving gently in the breeze. The atmosphere was bright, although there was no sun. Joyful children chased each other through yards and across the street, where no cars were there to stop. Nico thought that if there was a car coming, it would have stopped and the driver would have probably gotten out to play with the children or something ridiculous like that. Not that Nico scoffed at the joy of those in Elysium; they deserved the happiness they were given. He just couldn't understand it. Nico di Angelo was probably the darkest thing to ever enter Elysium, not counting his father. He didn't understand why things that seemed so artificial, so shallow, counted as eternal reward. The lives the people in Elysium led appeared depthless. So why were they so happy? What reward was there in such empty pleasure?

Nico passed by a family sitting out on their lawn. Their house was reminiscent of a plantation from the early 1800's. It was large and grand, white marble and a picket fence. The women, Nico thought a mother and two grown daughters, wore hoop skirts. The men, a father and five sons, wore trousers with suspenders and white button-down shirts. They were having a picnic on their lawn. The mother and father had their finger entwined and were smiling lovingly at their children. Nico slowed down to watch them for a moment. As one of the sons wrapped his arms around one of the girls and kissed her cheek, Nico suddenly knew that the girl was the daughter-in-law of the parents. The other girl was the grandchild. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he was certain. The family, all nine of them, appeared to be the same age. Nico realized that this family, whose parents probably died at an old age decades before them, was complete. At least, these were all of them who made it to Elysium. They were all young and healthy and beautiful, maybe even more so than they had been in their mortal lives. This Nico could understand. This exquisite togetherness. Being with your family for all eternity. That was what an eternal reward should be.

One of the girls, the grandchild, caught sight of Nico. She smiled widely at him and raised a hand in greeting. Nico waved back, but didn't wait to see her reaction. It was all he could do to keep from running. Not only did he feel like he had imposed on a private moment, but the family's happiness made him feel a nearly overwhelming sense of sadness. His family could never have that. They could never be together again. If Nico made it to Elysium, Bianca would hopefully be in her third life or in the Isles of the Blest. Nico had no idea where his mother was. He assumed she was somewhere in Elysium, but he had never been able to find her and Hades refused to tell him where she was. Hades himself was an immortal god. Hazel . . . Well, Hazel hadn't ever been part of that family. But Nico would wish her to be with them if they were able to come together. He thought of the mother and father, holding hands and smiling. He thought of the son and his wife, their child. He thought of Will.

Nico was beginning to almost regret coming to Elysium. How could a place of so much happiness cause him so much pain? There had to be some rule about not being able to suffer in Elysium. But, Nico suspected, like all rules of the Underworld, he was excused.

Almost. Nico _almost_ regretted visiting Elysium. As he approached his destination, that "almost" glared angrily at him.

Nico couldn't explain how he knew the way. Like he'd known the roles of the family on the plantation, he knew exactly where to go. No one had told him and he'd never been there before. Gods, he didn't even know the place he was going. Just how to get there.

Nico stopped on the outskirts. He wasn't sure how welcome he would be. After all, these were Romans. Despite last summer's reconciliation between Greek and Roman camps, Nico didn't think he would be welcome. He was a Greek. And these were Roman demigods, and few of them had died after the reconciliation.

Nico stared out at the small field. The grass was a merry green here, not the rainbow sort. Picnic tables were lined up, piled with food. A glittering blue lake similar to the one with the Isles banked on the field's edge. Roman demigods milled around. They were doing various activities together, talking and laughing as they wrestled on the ground or sparred. It reminded Nico so much of Camp Jupiter. The demigods were dressed in purple. Some had togas and some had t-shirts. Everyone was dressed according to the century they had lived in. Nico didn't see much difference between this party and normal Camp Jupiter parties, although these demigods were more relaxed. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Nico watched several girls strip off their purple clothing and jump in the lake. They surfaced spluttering and laughing, calling for others to join them. Their completely nakedness bothered no one. Except maybe Nico, who turned away wondering why anyone found naked girls appealing.

"Nico di Angelo!"

Nico was startled even more by hearing his name here than he had been in Persephone's garden. He turned around to see a familiar boy approaching him. The boy was stocky and had curly black hair. He was drinking red KoolAid straight out of clear 32-ounce pitcher. Nico's stomach clenched. Shock stole the air from his lungs. Dakota loped up to Nico and playfully slapped him on the back. "Son of Pluto! It is good to see you!"

Dakota was grinning, and Nico realized his teeth and lips were not stained red with KoolAid, as they always were. For some reason, that was what sent Nico reeling the most. He stumbled back.

Dakota's grin flickered. "You alright, Nico?"

Nico couldn't speak.

"Oh,'' Dakota nodded, as if it all made sense now. "I gotcha. Yeah, I died. It sucked. But I'm here now! And the KoolAid here is so much better than at Camp Jupiter!"

"That's great, Dakota,'' Nico choked. Dakota was dead? How had he not known? _Oh, right. My powers were gone. Thanks again, Dad._ Nico remembered how Dakota had helped him at the end of the Giant War. And before then, when Nico had been with Hazel at Camp Jupiter, Dakota had never been unfriendly to Nico. He was a good person. He _had been_ a good person. He was dead now.

Nico didn't bother asking the Roman demigod how he died. It had been recent, he knew. He remembered what Hazel, Frank, and Reyna had reported about their recent battle with the Triumvirate. How many people they'd lost. Dakota was just another casualty of war. Another life lost. Whatever form Elysium took for the Romans, Nico hoped Dakota was happy. He hoped he got the peace he deserved.

"We all heard you were coming,'' said Dakota. When Nico started, he continued, "Word travels fast down here. He's waiting for you.''

Nico blinked. "What?"

"That's the reason you're here, right?" Dakota nodded towards a tall pine tree. Nico hadn't noticed it until that moment. "He's over there.'' With that, Dakota was off, taking a long swig of KoolAid as he walked away. Nico was dimly aware that the quantity of KoolAid was not diminished in the slightest after Dakota drunk from it. He watched him go. Then he turned to face the pine tree. Nico saw him waiting. He swallowed hard and approached him.

* * *

Jason Grace was dead.

Nico told himself that over and over as his shaking legs carried him towards his old friend. Jason looked exactly the same as he had when Nico had last seen him. He was tall and handsome, with tanned skin and close-cropped blond hair. He was standing at the base of the pine tree. His arms were crossed over his chest and his posture was more casual and relaxed than Nico had ever seen it. Jason smiled at Nico and it reached his electric blue eyes. Nico swallowed again. Jason _looked_ more alive than Nico himself. And he looked at peace. For the first time, Jason appeared to be really, truly at peace. What more could one ask for in death?

Nico stopped. Jason was there, right there. Face-to-face with him. Was he really in this place? Nico didn't know what to do. Should he talk first or wait for Jason to set the tone? But Jason appeared to be patiently waiting for him. Nico was fighting for words. What could he possible say? There was so much he _wanted_ to say. . .

"You left me,'' he blurted out.

Jason's eyes were sad. "I know.''

 _His voice._ Nico realized he had nearly forgotten what it sounded like.

"I'm sorry, Nico.''

"You promised.''

"I know.''

"Why?" When Jason didn't respond, Nico pushed further. "Why did you have to die?"

Jason shook his head. "It was my time.''

"It wasn't!" Nico knew he sounded like a little kid. He didn't care. "You shouldn't have had to die. It's not fair.''

"Life isn't fair, Nico. Neither is death.''

"But . . . " There was nothing else to say. Nico came up completely empty. He struggled for something else, anything else. Jason waited patiently. He was the same Jason Nico had always known, and yet so different. He was a Jason whose story had ended. Nothing else was coming for him, not ever. He would spend the rest of eternity in Elysium. Nico would spend the rest of his life doing gods-knew-what. He had no plan from here. And then, eventually, he too would die. Nico had lived for so long. He potentially had _decades_ left in his life. Death seemed so far away. Jason was _so_ far away, despite him standing right in front of Nico. _"But I miss you.''_

He choked on his words, a sob escaping his throat. Tears had come to his eyes and spilled down his cheeks before he could stop them.

Jason reached out a hand. Nico flinched.

An unreadable expression flashed across Jason's face. He lowered his hand slowly, as if trying not to startle a frightened animal. Nico would have tried to hide his discomfort at being touched by Jason, but he was so damn tired of concealing his emotions.

"I didn't want this,'' Jason said softly. "Nico, I swear to you, I didn't want to die. I just wanted Piper to live. I wanted Apollo and Meg to succeed on their quest. I wanted them to save my friends, give them all a secure future, even if that meant sacrificing my own future. I never, _never_ wanted to hurt you.

"I know I promised I would always be there for you. I hope you know I had every intention of doing so, Nico. I may not be up there with you anymore, but I am down here. And I'll be waiting for you, like Eurydice waited for Orpheus.''

Nico sniffed. "That's a horrible comparison.''

Jason laughed, and it brought back so many bittersweet memories Nico felt like he was drowning. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself. He forced his obsidian eyes to meet Jason's blue ones. Nico couldn't speak without completely losing his shit, so he bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.

"It's time for you to go now.''

Nico blinked. He hadn't expected a dismissal from Jason.

"You belong in the world of the living,'' said Jason. "It's not good for you to be here any longer. Go home.''

 _I don't want to go home!_ Nico wanted to wail. _I want to stay with you!_ But not trusting himself to speak, Nico nodded stiffly and turned to leave. Jason's hand on his shoulder stopped him. He glanced quizzically at the older boy.

"Find it in your heart to be happy. There are people who love you, don't you ever forget that, Nico di Angelo. But there's only so much they can do for you. At some point you have to take initiative of your own decisions. You have all the tools to be happy, now you just have to make the decision to live your life and take charge of that happiness. It's your choice.''

"Okay,'' Nico whispered, "I'll try.''

Jason cupped Nico's face in his hands. "I know.''

Nico began to cry.

Jason pulled him close and held him. Nico wasn't sure how long he slumped against Jason, sobbing into his chest. But the pain he let out had been pent up inside him since he first heard of Jason's death. He didn't just cry for Jason. He cried for Bianca, his mother, Dakota, all the lives lost during Camp Jupiter's recent struggled. He cried for himself. The childhood he could never get back, all the pain and fear he had kept hidden inside himself for years, his inability to let go of his sister, his blatant refusal to be happy. He cried from shame at leaving Will the way he did. That was when he knew with a fierce certainty that Jason was right:

It was time for Nico to go home.

He took a deep breath, wiped his damp face on Jason's purple t-shirt, and pulled gently away. Jason held him by the shoulders. He smiled. It was a happy smile. Happy for Nico and the life he was going to live. And a sad smile. Sad for himself and the life he had lost.

"Thank you,'' said Nico. His voice was hoarse from crying.

Jason touched his forehead to Nico's, a gesture Nico found both intimate and very Roman. Then Nico stepped away. He didn't look back at the Roman party behind them. He could still hear the sounds of the celebration. He vaguely wondered if anyone had watched the exchange between him and Jason. It didn't matter.

Jason glanced meaningfully up at the pine tree he was standing by. Nico wasn't sure if this was a tribute to Zeus or Jason's sister Thalia. Jason stepped aside, revealing a shadow cast by the large tree. The shadow was impossible. There was no sun. Then again, there was never a sun in the Underworld, and shadows seemed to be everywhere. Nico suspected that this one was specially created by Elysium though. Nico took one last look at Jason, who nodded, and stepped into the shadow.

* * *

The first thing Nico noticed when he reemerged in Camp Half-Blood was that it was dark outside. A few campers were still milling around, so curfew must not have started quite yet. Nico was standing near the shore of the lake. The moon was full and the sky was clear. The trees obscured the moonlight, creating dim shadows on the ground near the beach. He'd been gone all day.

Nico blinked hard, twice. He still felt like he was a shadow. He wasn't used to Shadowtraveling again. He decided as he began walking a little unsteadily to the Cabins, that for Will's sake he wouldn't make a regular habit of the dangerous form of travel. Nico didn't really want to do it either. He appreciated that he _could_ do it if he ever needed to, but he wasn't going to use it frequently. The time of hiding in shadows had passed for Nico.

Nico thought of what his father had said. _Difficult times approach, I must warn you. The fallen god Apollo will soon need your help. You must rise to the occasion. Be the hero I know you are._ And then, _Remember, you are not alone._ What did that mean? Was Apollo coming back to Camp Half-Blood? Why would he need Nico, of all people? Then there was that other part - _You are not alone._

Jason Grace had said something very similar: _There are people who love you, don't you ever forget that, Nico di Angelo._

Lost in his thoughts, Nico didn't realize where his feet were carrying him. It seemed as if all of a sudden he was standing in front of Cabin 7. His hand hovered over the doorknob. For the first time since they started dating, Nico wasn't sure Will wanted to see him. Nico had left Will with no warning _again._ That was twice in one week. Will had every right to be pissed. But Nico knew he had to apologize. He couldn't just slunk away and wait for Will to seek him out. Nico had to be the one to make this right.

He found Will in the infirmary.

Will was sitting on a bed with his legs crossed, rolling bandages. He looked up when Nico walked in. Something in his expression shifted, but he said nothing. He went back to his work. Nico sat down on the bed directly across from him so that they faced each other. They didn't speak.

Nico watched Will's skillful hands work. It was something Nico had seen him do many times. There was something different about his mannerisms now though. He was rolling the bandages with the same delicate fingers, but his movements were filled with . . .

Nico had seen Will angry on a few occasions. But that anger had never been directed towards _him._ Nico knew he deserved it. He felt heavy with guilt.

They sat in silence for several more minutes. Will had an old radio on, playing country music. Sometimes Nico forgot Will's mother, Naomi Solace, was a semi-famous country singer. Nico watched Will continue to roll bandages, placing the finished ones in a neat pile beside him on the bed. When his temper did not subside over time, Nico understood he was going to have to be the one to make amends.

"Will.'' Nico's heart was pounding. He'd never felt this nervous talking to Will. When they'd first gotten together, Nico had been shy, but _talking_ to Will had never been difficult. _Because he's never been mad at you before, dumbass._ "Will,'' Nico said again. "I'm sorry.''

Will didn't look up. He continued his work like he hadn't heard Nico speak.

Nico ran a hand through his lengthening dark hair. "I know I shouldn't have left again. I just . . . I needed to get some control over my life back. Everything this spring has happened so fast, and I couldn't take it anymore. I still should have told you where I was going. I have no excuse for that.''

Will looked up then. His face was flushed and Nico was horrified to see tears in his eyes. "Where did you go, Nico?'' He didn't sound malicious or resentful. He didn't even seem angry anymore. He just looked defeated. And tired. _He's tired of me,_ Nico thought. _Me and my bullshit._ Honestly? Nico couldn't blame.

In response to Will's question, a lie would have been the easiest way out. But there was no way in hell Nico was going to do Will wrong again.

"I went to the Underworld.''

Will jerked back as he had been punched. "You _what?"_

"I went to the Underworld,'' Nico repeated, "to see my dad.''

"Why?" Will cried. "Nico—''

"I had to get my powers back!" Nico didn't care how childish it sounded. He didn't care that he'd cut off Will. He couldn't bear much more, so he pressed on. "I couldn't understand what was happening to me, and I needed to know! I'm so sorry I left without saying anything, Will. I know it was wrong, and I regretted it almost immediately. But I'd already figured out that Hades had taken my powers to get my attention and I had to know what was so important.'' And then he told Will everything. He told him about realizing his powers were depleting, not wanting to say anything to anyone about it, and deciding Hades was the culprit. Nico explained that that was his reason for being so short-tempered that morning, for being pushed over the edge and ultimately deciding to go to the Underworld. He described mysteriously being able to Shadowtravel to Los Angeles, journeying through the dark abysses of the Underworld, and the conversation he'd had with his father. Nico left out the part about Apollo. It seemed that Will would know soon enough about his own father's endeavors and Nico was not going to endanger Hades for warning his son. Nico told Will about Jason. He'd already cried his tears; he had none left to shed. Will listened intently, his expression carefully guarded. When Nico finished at last, Will studied his empty hands. He had finished rolling bandages some time ago.

Nico waited, his chest fluttering.

Finally, Will raised his eyes to meet Nico's. "You should have told me you were losing your powers. I could have helped you.''

That was . . . not what Nico had expected. "Uhh. Well, I-I know. I'm sorry. I know you don't like Underworld-y stuff so—"

"If something is bothering you I _always_ want to know,'' Will interrupted. "And it's not that I have a problem with Underworld magic itself, I just don't like you doing it because it's not safe and I love you and I don't want anything bad happening to you.''

"Oh.'' Nico felt a mixture of embarrassment, shame, and affection. "I'm sorry?"

"You should be,'' huffed Will. "That was a stupid thing to do. And you better never run off without telling anyone again. Do have any idea how worried I've been?"

Nico had the decency to be greatly ashamed.

Will didn't wait for an answer. "Of course you do. I accept your apology, as long as you _swear to me_ you'll never pull a stunt like that again.''

Nico nodded fervently. "I swear it.''

Will nodded, satisfied. "Now that you've been on your journey of self-discovery, what have you learned?"

"Am I supposed to say 'There's no place like home'?"

Will cracked a smile. "Is there?"

"No.'' Nico smiled back. "No, there is not.''

"Good.'' Will pushed his neat stack of bandages off the bed. Nico watched in surprise as they rolled on the ground. "Now come kiss me, Death Boy.''

Nico's grin widened. "Sure thing, Sunshine.''

He clambered onto Will's bed. As the two of them tangled together, Nico was dimly aware of the song playing on the radio. It was familiar, as if he had heard it recently.

_'Cause there we are again when I love you so_

_Back before you lost the one real thing you've ever known_

_It was rare, I was there, I remember it all too well_

Nico wrapped his arms around Will and held on.

Nico had been searching for happiness for what felt like his entire life. In reality, it had been the years since he'd lost his sister. Since he'd lost Bianca, the one person who Nico had ever really known. Nico had been so caught up in the pain of his past, that he'd failed to realize the present.

Nico had chased happiness for so many years that he failed to recognize it when it was standing right in front of him. Or when it was wrapped around him, caressing his cheek, kissing him softly.

Nico had hung on to all the things he had lost for so long. In the throes of it all, he had failed to see what he had gained.

Hades was right.

Jason was right.

Nico di Angelo was not alone. He hadn't been in quite some time. Here he was, with his boyfriend whom he adored. He remembered his mother, his sister, Jason, and everyone he'd ever lost. He knew he would always love them. He would always miss them. He would always wish they hadn't died. And for the first time in his life, that was okay.

Nico let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song used in Chapters 9/10 is "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift, which also happens to be my favorite song of all time.
> 
> Please review! One more chapter to go :)


	11. Chapter 11

_Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it_

_I'd like to be my old self again, but I'm still trying to find it_

_After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own_

_Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone_

_But you keep my old scarf fro_ _m that very first week_

_'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me_

_You can't get rid of it_

_'Cause you remember it all too well_

_-_ Taylor Swift,

"All Too Well"

* * *

Summer had come at last.

The first week of June arrived with sunny blue skies and an increase of temperature by ten degrees. It was now properly hot. Nico wasn't much of a heat person, but even he welcomed the change. It felt like the warmth dissipated the cool, miserable spring at last.

Nico thought of Persephone. Maybe her absence _did_ have something to do with the changing seasons, even if it was smaller than the myths made it out to be. Nico had never been overly fond of his step-mother, but he hoped she was happy despite her circumstances. _Jason should give her a TED Talk on finding happiness,_ thought Nico. He waited for the pain thinking of Jason always brought him. It didn't come. Nico smiled to himself.

Will nudged his shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"Hm?" Nico looked up. "Oh, nothing's funny. Just thinking.''

Will gave him a knowing look, but didn't press any further. Nico slid his hand into Will's. He felt Will's thumb automatically stroke his wrist bone. The two boys were on their way to the Big House to help Chiron with orientation. The day before, almost two hundred kids had arrived at Camp Half-Blood for the summer. The night before that, curfew had been pushed back a few hours so the finishing touches could be put on Camp. Nico had expected the harpies to be sulking, eyeing the campers hungrily, but they actually were rather cheerful. They'd lit a roaring fire and served hot chocolate. Nico couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun.

Inside the Big House, the campers were milling around chattering excitedly. There were a few new faces, but Nico recognized most of them from previous years. He scanned the crowd, searching for his friends. Percy and Annabeth hadn't arrived yet. His heart sank a little when he didn't see Piper or Leo either. Neither of them had been particularly close to Nico, but it would be good to see them back at Camp Half-Blood. They seemed to have forgone the demigod Camp for good though. It wasn't unexpected, but it made Nico sad. Jason Grace's best friends had entered the camp for the first time with him; without him, they wouldn't return. Some wounds never did heal.

Will tapped his shoulder. "Look,'' he whispered, nodding towards where Chiron stood in centaur form talking to a familiar satyr.

"Grover!" Nico was pleasantly surprised to see the Lord of the Wild. Grover was dressed in his normal jeans and CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt. Despite wearing pants, he hadn't bothered to hide his hooves, although he was covering his small horns with a red ball cap. He had his hands jammed in his pockets. Based on the facial expressions of Chiron and Grover, the conversation seemed to be going a dark direction. Nico vaguely recalled Grover being stationed in California. It would be one hell of a coincidence, but if Apollo had been in California with Jason and Piper, and Grover was presumably there at the time . . . Grover had once been a protector. He had gotten Luke and Annabeth safely to Camp Half-Blood, but had lost Thalia on the way. He had redeemed himself in the eyes of the Satyr Counsel when he succeeded in getting Percy safely into Camp and back alive from his first quest. Nico had never considered how hard it would be for a protector to witness a half-blood's death. Especially since Jason was the sister of Thalia.

_So much loss._ And if Hades' warning had been any indication, it wasn't over yet. Nico looked around the room of excited new demigods. A storm was brewing. How many of these kids would lose their lives over the summer? With his powers fully returned, Nico could have focused and maybe gotten some hint. But he didn't try. Despite the troubling circumstances, these campers could still have a good summer. Apollo might take care of the Triumvirate himself. There might not be any need to go to war. However unlikely the prospect of Apollo dealing with his own problems was, Nico didn't allow himself to think differently.

Chiron and Grover appeared to have finished their conversation. Nico saw Grover swipe at his eyes with the back of a hand. Nico had forgotten how emotional the satyr was. Grover looked up and caught Nico's eye. Nico waved. A smile broke out on Grover's face and he started weaving his way through the crowd towards them.

"See,'' Will murmured in Nico's ear. His mouth was so close that Nico felt his warm breath slide down his neck. "Being friendly isn't so bad.''

"Yeah, it is,'' Nico muttered back, "I'm just a great boyfriend.''

Will chuckled deep in his throat and winked. Nico wished he would whisper something else just so he could feel Will's breath against his skin again.

"Nico, Will!" Grover beamed at them. He seemed to have recovered very quickly from whatever depressing things he and Chiron had been discussing. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's great seeing you too, Grover,'' said Nico. The funny thing was, he meant it.

"How've you been?" Will asked, looking the satyr over as if he had cause of concern of injury. "Everything all right in Cali?"

Grover's goatee quivered. "N-no. The Triumvirate . . . Caligula . . . Jason Grace . . ."

"We heard,'' Nico said gently, to spare the satyr from talking about it anymore.

Grover nodded empathetically. "We lost some good nature spirits too.'' His voice was hoarse with grief.

Will put a hand on his shoulder. "We're so sorry, Grover.''

Nico murmured in agreement. He was grateful Will had spoken for both of them. Sympathy wasn't really Nico's thing either, although he was working on it. Grover looked so defeated. Nico wished there was something he could do to help him. He had been thinking a lot about what his dad had told him about Apollo needing his help soon. Nico had been going back and forth between being willing to drop everything and help the mortal god and being extremely annoyed at the prospect of being another pawn in the gods' game. But seeing Grover, sweet, optimistic Grover, so torn apart by something the Triumvirate had done, Nico knew that he _had_ to help Apollo take them down once and for all.

Grover wiped his nose and forced a smile, which broke Nico's heart a little. "So how have you two been?"

"Good,'' Nico said. "We've been good.''

He and Will launched into a lengthy description of every good thing that had happened at Camp Half-Blood since Grover was last there. They left out everything that could have upset the satyr further. As they talked, Grover relaxed.

"We missed you'd during Camp games. Especially the Three-Legged Death Race,'' Will was saying, "you organize those kinds of things so well.''

Grover blushed a little. "Oh, well, thank you. Ah, you know, all in a day's work.'' He glanced around the Big House. "I've really missed this place,'' he murmured, almost to himself. Then to Will and Nico, "Juniper wouldn't happen to be around, would she?"

Will and Nico exchanged a grin. Juniper was Grover's tree nymph girlfriend.

"She's still around,'' Nico confirmed.

"She's missed you terribly,'' Will added helpfully. "I'd check by her tree. She tends to stick close by it.''

Grover nodded. He straightened up resolutely and adjusted his ball cap. "Alright, then, I'm off. It was great seeing you both.''

Will and Nico said goodbye and watched as Grover strode with a newfound determination in the direction of the forest.

"Will! Nico!'' Chiron called. "Are you ready?"

Will wrapped an arm around Nico's waist, pulling him close. "It's showtime, babe.''

"Hey! No PDA at orientation!'' A familiar voice yelled. Will reluctantly let go of Nico and they turned to see Clarisse La Rue glaring daggers at them. Her boyfriend Chris Rodriguez frowned. "That's not what you said last year when we did orientation—" He started, but quickly shut up when Chiron rounded on them.

"Hey, Chiron,'' Clarisse greeted him like they were old friends.

"Hello, Clarisse,'' Chiron had taken on a more authoritative tone of voice, but he sounded pleased to see her too. Clarisse had been going to Camp Half-Blood for almost a decade now. Even though she was an adult in college, she still came back every summer. She had been incredibly helpful during the Giant Wars and Nico remembered seeing her at Jason's memorial.

Will tugged Nico's hand. Nico followed him to the front of the room. The summer campers had gone quiet, now anxiously awaiting their orientation.

Will did most of the talking. He introduced himself and Nico. After welcoming the newcomers and greeting the returning campers, he went into detail about the rules and schedule of the summer that would entail. Nico added helpful comments like "Yeah'' and "For sure". Also, "Don't do that", "That would suck", and "You'd definitely die a gruesome death if you tried that. Trust me, it's happened.'' After they finished their part, Chiron took over to explain the more logistical aspects of Camp life. He didn't mention the Triumvirate. He didn't mention Jason. He didn't mention the prospect of an upcoming war.

Having heard this all before, Nico and Will slipped out of the Big House during the dating regulations regarding who was not biologically related to whom (everyone in Camp was technically related on the godly side in some way, but since gods had no DNA, it was disregarded for everyone but half-siblings, who weren't technically related either because of the no DNA thing but it made everyone uncomfortable anyway so they had banned it, and the thing that had happened with those two Aphrodite kids in the 80's didn't matter because the 80's were the 80's and it hadn't happened since). Everyone stared at the floor in high discomfort as Chiron explained curfew and the strict rule about not sneaking into other cabins. That was when Nico and Will left because a) straight people rules, and b) they didn't give a fuck.

They strolled down grassy planes towards the strawberry fields. In an hour or so, once orientation was over, Camp Half-Blood would be bustling with excitement, campers racing around excitedly. This was the calm before the storm.

Nico suddenly caught sight of Percy and Annabeth. They were a very welcome sight indeed. The relief he felt seeing them walking hand in hand towards Nico and Will was palpable. He quickened his pace to meet them.

"You came!" He cried happily.

"Of course,'' said Annabeth, moving in to give him a hug. "Did you really think college would stop us from coming home?"

"Nah,'' said Nico. He didn't actually think Annabeth Chase had ever hugged him before. It was nice though. He tried hard not to stiffen, like he usually did when people touched him. "You weren't at orientation though, so I got a little worried.''

Percy hugged Nico next. "Orientation? Are you kidding, man?" He said over Nico's shoulder. "I've been coming here six years now and I've never gone to orientation once.''

Will laughed. "Of course you haven't.''

Percy slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly. "It's great to see you guys.''

"It's great seeing you guys too,'' Nico echoed. "What's been going on lately?"

Percy shrugged and looked at Annabeth. She rolled her eyes, but was smiling. "Nothing to report,'' she said. "Seaweed Brain has been studying his ass off and he is not being a good sport about it.''

"Studying for four hours a day is my limit,'' said Percy, a little defensively. " _Seven hours_ is excessive.''

Annabeth muttered something under her breath about how she spent nine hours studying most days. Nico decided not to get into it with them.

"So what's been going on at Camp?" Percy asked, cleverly changing the subject. "The usual?"

Nico and Will exchanged a glance. Annabeth didn't miss it. "Do tell.''

So Will explained all the things that had happened at Camp Half-Blood since Jason's memorial. He told them about the Underworld demon's attacks and the Hunters of Artemis' visit. Much to Nico's gratitude, he left out the part about Nico losing his powers and going AWOL to the Underworld. It would be too complicated to explain it all to Percy and Annabeth now. When Will had finished, Annabeth shook her head sadly. "Wow.''

Percy rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah . . . what she said.''

This time is was Nico who tried to chance the subject. "Are Piper and Leo coming?" He asked.

"No,'' said Annabeth, with a sigh. "Piper is spending the summer in Oklahoma with her Dad. Leo is in Indianapolis with Cal at some half-blood refuge called the Waystation. They said they're happy where they are right now.''

Nico dipped his head. He had expected that much. A part of him still wished they would come to Camp, but he knew in his heart that they had to do what was best for them.

"What's up with your hair?" Percy asked abruptly.

"Hm? Oh, this,'' Nico gestured vaguely upward. "I forgot to cut it for a couple weeks with everything going on, so it got long. I was going to fix it before everybody came, but Will likes it so I decided to keep it for now.''

Nico had let most of his dark hair hang into his face like usual, but Will had suggested he gather the back in a little ponytail to keep it from getting too messy.

"I do like it,'' confirmed Will. As if to prove his point, he ran his fingers through the long strands in the front. Nico blushed a little.

"Jackson, Chase!" Travis Stoll jogged up, Katie Gardner close behind. Percy and Annabeth greeted their old friends enthusiastically.

"Where's your counterpart?" Annabeth asked as she gave Travis a hug.

"Connor's arriving tomorrow,'' said Travis, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. Nico had never been more glad to have saved the campers from the demon poison.

"Hey, Will,'' Kayla called. She was standing with a group of Apollo kids. "Come be head counselor!''

Will and Nico excused themselves and followed Kayla towards Cabin 7. There weren't any new children of Apollo, which was probably good all things considered. Will was well acquainted with his siblings, and clearly happy to see them all again. He brought them up to date with an even more watered-down version of the spring's events than he gave Percy and Annabeth. Nico was a little uncomfortable around so many people. He knew almost every Apollo kid by name, and they were all friendly with him, but he hung back with Kayla and Austin. He was grateful thought that no one asked why he was with them. Nico was the only resident of Cabin 13 and would remain that way always so he never had to give orientation. He stuck with Cabin 7 in all activities and no one questioned it, which he greatly appreciated.

Right as they reached the cabin, a large commotion broke out near the entrance of Camp. Will glanced back, a puzzled expression on his face. Campers were flocking from all directions to the source of the disturbance.

"Maybe it's a monster attack!" Kayla, always ready for a fight, sprinted off.

"Kayla, wait!" Will called after her, but it was too late.

"I'll, uh, go get her,'' Austin volunteered. Before Will could stop him, he followed Kayla in running towards the entrance. Will groaned.

"Can we go too, Will?" Asked a small golden-haired boy, who Nico remembered being called Grant. He was the youngest in Cabin 7, maybe ten years old.

Will sighed. "Yeah, sure.''

"Hooray!" Grant cried. He raced away, yelling "I hope it's a monster!" at the top of his lungs. The other campers, of course, followed in hot pursuit. Will shot Nico a long-suffering look.

Nico laughed and laced his fingers with Will's. "Let's go see what's up.''

If it was a monster, there would be more panic and probably more excitement too. The pandemonium seemed to be caused by a great deal of wonder and curiosity.

As they got closer, they saw a crowd had gathered around two very familiar people. Nico stopped in his tracks.

It was Apollo and Meg McCaffrey.

"Dad!" Will looked so relieved Nico thought he was going to cry. "Come on!" Nico didn't have much of a choice. Will started to run towards the crowd that had formed around his dad, dragging Nico with him.

Will stopped just outside of the crowd. Nico skidded to a halt beside him. A ring had formed in the center of the gaggle of half-bloods, giving Apollo and Meg room to breathe. Will and Nico pushed through the crowd until they had a good view of them. Will was watching Apollo intently, eyes moving up and down his body as if scanning him for potential injury. "Will,'' Nico panted, "he looks fine. What are you waiting for?"

Will nodded towards something or someone Nico couldn't see over the crowd.

He heard a squeal and saw Kayla throw herself at Apollo. Nico was surprised to see the expression on Apollo's face as he held his daughter. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, like Nico had never seen a god with their mortal child. Austin pushed through the crowd and joined his sister and father in the hug. The other Apollo kids looked extremely awkward. One girl glanced at Will and mouthed, _That's him?_ Will shrugged, but he was grinning.

Meg McCaffrey was being fawned over by her two older sisters she had met last winter when she first came to Camp. The other Demeter kids were watching impatiently, as if they couldn't wait to meet their infamous sister. Nico was happy Meg had people who loved and cared about her.

Apollo was now chattering animatedly with Kayla and Austin. He looked up and saw Will. His smile widened, which Nico hadn't thought possible. Apollo held his arms out. Will let go of Nico's hand and ran to embrace his father. Nico watched with satisfaction as Will clung to him and Apollo had the decency to look guilty. _That's right,_ Nico wanted to tell the former god, _you've been gone for months, no contact. Will's been worried sick. You should feel bad._

When Will finally let go of Apollo, he immediately started giving him an earful of what was probably part reprimand for lack of contact and partly an update on Camp life. Out of the corner of his eye, Nico saw Annabeth eyeing Apollo skeptically. Percy, standing next to her, had his arms crossed over his chest and a hard expression on his face, like _Make me go on a quest now, sucker._ Nico didn't blame Percy and Annabeth for not trusting the god. He clearly had to have come to Camp Half-Blood for some reason other than to visit his children. He almost definitely had come to acquire demigod help. Percy and Annabeth were both extremely skilled half-bloods and would make valuable consorts. They knew this too. What they didn't know, was that they were not the ones Apollo had come to Camp to enlist. They had had not warning. Nico had.

Nico took a moment to fill his lungs with air. He knew what was coming. He would do it too. It wasn't like he had that much of a choice, but what little power he did have in the scenario he would use to accept his fate. He saw how happy Kayla and Austin were with their father. How happy Will was. Nico would do what the god asked if only to keep the smile on Will's face and the twinkle in his blue eyes. Nico thought of losing Jason. He thought of his mother, and Bianca, and Dakota, all the others. Ethan Nakamura. Silena Beauregard. Luke Castellan. He remembered it all too well. He would not lose Will too.

Nico approached the god.

Apollo stopped mid-sentence when he saw Nico coming towards him. He looked about the same as he did when Nico had last seen him. He had the cheeky face of his alias Lester Papadopoulos, curly brown hair, acne and all. Will turned around, looking curious. Apollo himself looked a little nervous, but tried for a winning smile.

_Here we go again._

"Nico di Angelo!" He spread his arms wide. "I need your help.''

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know your thoughts; constructive criticism is always welcome. Hope you enjoyed!


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